Kike Hernandez opens up after Dodgers pitching debut; Miguel Rojas hilariously calls out 2 pitchers

Veteran Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Kike Hernandez has played multiple roles for the NL West team, whether in the infield or the outfield or as a designated hitter or a pinch hitter.

However, it was a first even for the two-time World Series winner during Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins. Hernandez was not in the starting lineup and entered the game by replacing first baseman Freddie Freeman in the seventh inning.

With the Dodgers leading 15-2 after the eighth inning, manager Dave Roberts sent the utility man to the mound to preserve their high-leverage relievers. Kike Hernandez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close the game and opened up about taking the mound at Dodger Stadium for the first time in an Instagram post.

He captioned the post:

"After years as a Dodger, I finally made my Dodger Stadium pitching debut. Honored to have done it on Women's Night;, had to wear the to remind everybody to use protection. #SafetyFirst

"As far as my job on the mound, I'm pretty happy about it. Induced a lot of weak contact, painted the corners with the cutter and had a 40mph spread! When it comes to covering 1st base, be out there with the pitchers next time they have PFP's."

Kike Hernandez's Dodgers teammate Miguel Rojas commented on the post, hilariously calling out LA relief pitchers Ben Casparius and Jack Dreyer after the utility man's scoreless inning.

"Get the F*** over," Rojas wrote tagging the two relievers.

While it was Hernandez's pitching debut at the ballpark, he had made his pitching debut in 2018 and pitched four times last season.

Kike Hernandez makes history in Dodgers rout of Marlins

Kike Hernandez was walked in the seventh inning before scoring on a single from Teoscar Hernandez. He added an RBI single in the eighth and scored another run to make it 15-2 for the hosts.

Hernandez became the first MLB player to score multiple runs, play multiple positions, and go scoreless from the mound without starting the game.

With the ongoing injury crisis to the Dodgers rotation, Dave Roberts might consider using the veteran utility player more often this season to protect the relievers.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash