Sports
Kiké Hernández caps milestone day with heroic effort in thrilling Dodgers win
Kiké Hernández was having a pretty memorable Saturday even before he set foot in Dodger Stadium, the veteran utility man starting the weekend with an emotional family gathering to mark the day he reached 10 years of major league service time, a milestone fewer than 10% of players achieve.
“It was at home with my wife, my daughter, my parents, my two sisters and their boyfriends and my dogs,” Hernández said. “My wife prepared an hourlong video of all my friends from back home [in Puerto Rico] with messages from people who have impacted my career. It was definitely a great way to start my day.”
Somehow, Hernández authored an even better finish, entering the game against the Boston Red Sox as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and almost single-handedly keeping the Dodgers in it with clutch, score-tying hits in the ninth and 10th innings.
Will Smith then delivered a bases-loaded single to left-center in the bottom of the 11th to give the Dodgers a dramatic 7-6, walk-off victory in front of a rollicking crowd of 48,129 in Chavez Ravine.
“It’s been a day of a lot of reflection,” Hernández said at his corner locker afterward, his brow still sweaty and his uniform covered in dirt. “This game, it’s such a grind, such a long season. It’s hard to sit back and appreciate what you’ve done or what the game has done for you.”
There was a certain symmetry to Hernández’s afternoon. The 32-year-old has played 7½ seasons of his 11-year career with the Dodgers and 2½ seasons with the Red Sox, the teams that packed about as much drama as you can fit in a 3½-hour nationally televised regular-season game.
And Hernández was a teammate of Kenley Jansen, the man he hit a game-tying home run off of in the ninth inning, in both Los Angeles and Boston.
“It’s funny how things work,” Hernández said. “I’ve played for four teams, and the two I played the majority of my career with are here at Dodger Stadium on the day I celebrate my tenure. It’s a really beautiful thing.”
Dodgers catcher Will Smith gets a face full of water as he celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single in the 11th inning Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The lead changed hands three times in the the first seven innings, with Tyler O’Neill crushing a two-run homer off left-hander Anthony Banda to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the seventh, an inning that began with James Outman making a spectacular, leaping catch of a Rob Refsnyder drive as the Dodgers center fielder crashed into the wall.
The bottom of the ninth began with a familiar sight in Chavez Ravine, as Jansen, the former Dodgers closer, entered to protect a one-run lead against the team with whom he notched the first 350 saves of his career.
Jansen grooved a 2-and-2 cut fastball to his old buddy, and Hernández, who entered with a .191 average, .557 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, five homers and 15 RBIs in 71 games, drove a a 415-foot homer to left to tie the score 4-4.
“I’ve played a lot behind Kenley, but I had only faced him once when he was in Atlanta in 2022,” Hernández said. “I ambushed the first pitch, and he broke my bat on a two-seamer that went out to the warning track. The whole way back to the dugout, he was yelling at me, ‘Keep cheating to the cutter! Keep cheating to the cutter!’
“He’s not really throwing the two-seamer this year, so there’s no mystery to what Kenley is trying to do. He gave me one to handle, and I didn’t miss it.”
Did Jansen say anything to Hernández this time?
“If he did, I didn’t hear it because the stadium was loud, and I kind of blacked out because it had been a while since I did something in a big moment in this stadium,” Hernández said. “But I’m sure he might have some words tomorrow.”
The Red Sox took a 6-4 lead in the top of the 10th when O’Neill hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot to center off Dodgers closer Evan Phillips, one of the relievers responsible for blowing a five-run lead in the ninth inning of a walk-off loss to the Detroit Tigers in the final game before the All-Star break.
Back came the Dodgers in the bottom of the 10th. Andy Pages hit a one-out double to left off Red Sox right-hander Greg Weissert to score Freddie Freeman, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base, and cut the deficit to 6-5.
Miguel Rojas, who tapped a check-swing comebacker to the mound to start an inning-ending, 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded in the eighth, struck out. Up stepped Hernández, who took a first-pitch sweeper for a strike and swung through a second-pitch sweeper for Strike 2. But Hernández worked his way back to a full count and lined a 96-mph sinker to center for a single and a 6-6 tie.
Hernández was thrown out at second trying to advance on the throw home to end the 10th, but his big day wasn’t done yet.
“I’ve never faced the guy — he’s a very funky right-hander with a huge crossfire delivery,” Hernández said of Weissert. “I got down 0-2, and after that, it was just about slowing everything down, taking it pitch by pitch and having a lot of self-talk.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith celebrates after hitting a walk-off single in the 11th inning of a 7-6 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s been hard to stay confident, but I kept telling myself throughout the at-bat that there’s nobody better in these types of situations. Just get a pitch, don’t chase, and don’t try to do too much. All I have to do is get a hit or a walk. That 3-2 pitch was right there, and I hit a liner up the middle.”
Reliever Blake Treinen gave the Dodgers a chance to win by escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the top of the 11th, striking out Dominic Smith, getting Ceddanne Rafaela to pop out to first base and pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida to pop out to third.
“That was huge,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Inheriting the baserunner, it’s hard to get out of there with no run.”
Pinch-hitter Cavan Biggio opened the bottom of the 11th with a sacrifice bunt to advance Hernández, the automatic runner, to third. Chris Taylor walked, and Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Boston brought an outfielder in for a five-man infield, but Will Smith hit a ball where the Red Sox weren’t to give the Dodgers their second straight come-from-behind win.
“There was a lot of back and forth, homers, clutch hits … it was a fun game to be a part of,” Smith said. “I wish we could have closed it out a little earlier, but we were able to grind through it and come out with a win.”
Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski gave up three hits, struck out five and walked two in 4⅓ innings of his third big-league start, and reliever Brent Honeywell, in his second appearance for the Dodgers, threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
Gavin Lux hit a solo homer in the second, and the Dodgers scored twice in the sixth for a 3-2 lead when Ohtani doubled, Freeman walked, Teoscar Hernández hit an RBI single and Pages hit a sacrifice fly.
But when it was over, it was Kiké Hernández whom teammates honored with a champagne toast in the clubhouse, a tradition that Roberts started a few years ago to salute players reaching 10 years of service time.
“My family did a really good job this morning of making sure that I enjoy today,” Hernández said. “I had two big moments in the game, and I’m glad we got the win. It’s been a special day for me.”
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After its massive 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday night, Mexico has won Group A and officially clinched a spot in the knockout round.
El Tri will play its Round of 32 game in Mexico City, and will face the third-place finisher in either Group C/E/F/H/I.
This is the fourth time that Mexico has topped the group stage of a World Cup, with the other three coming in 1986, 1994 and 2002.
With the win, Mexico remains unbeaten in World Cup group games at home, going a combined 6-2-0 (W-D-L), with two wins and a draw in 1970 and 1986, and now two wins in 2026.
Before the tournament began, Mexico was listed at +6500 to win the World Cup. Now, after winning its first two games of the tournament, Mexico has surged up the oddsboard to +5000.
Can Mexico build off its first two matches and make a deep run in this tournament? Let’s check out the updated odds for El Tri as of June 19.
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Team Mexico — Stage of Elimination
Last 32: +125 (bet $10 to win $22.50 total)
Last 16: +135 (bet $10 to win $23.50 total)
Quarterfinals: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Semifinals: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Runner-up: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Outright winner: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Mexico is currently +5000 to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup after winning Group A (Getty Images).
Mexico’s Past World Cup Results:
1930: Group stage
1934: Did not qualify
1938: Withdrew
1950: Group stage
1954: Group stage
1958: Group stage
1962: Group stage
1966: Group stage
1970: Quarterfinals
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Group stage
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Quarterfinals
1990: Banned
1994: Round of 16
1998: Round of 16
2002: Round of 16
2006: Round of 16
2010: Round of 16
2014: Round of 16
2018: Round of 16
2022: Group stage
2026: TBD
What to know: Mexico has made a habit of being in the running, but never really being in the running. Make sense? Consider this: El Tri made it out of the group stage in seven consecutive World Cups (1994-2018), but never made it past the Round of 16 in any of those years. In 2022, Mexico failed to make it out of the group stage, and it will look to get back to its winning ways in 2026 after a great start to the tournament. With its win Thursday night, Mexico has now advanced to the knockout stage in eight of the last nine World Cups. It is important to note, however, that Mexico has never made it past the quarterfinals at a FIFA men’s World Cup.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Three and a half years after its biggest failure on the World Cup stage in half a century, the Mexican national team needed only two games to advance to the knockout round of this year’s tournament as winner of Group A.
Mexico’s defense held off a spirited final push by South Korea, earning a 1-0 win on Thursday night at Guadalajara Stadium in front of a fiery announced sellout crowd of 45,522.
“It was a very tough game,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made a mistake in the 50th minute, failing to stop what appeared to be a simple cross and bobbling the ball. That allowed Mexico’s Luis Romo to easily tap the ball into the net and claim a 1-0 lead.
“In the end, a mistake was going to tip the scales,” Aguirre said.
Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel blocks a shot from South Korea’s Son Heung-min during their World Cup match at Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday.
(Natacha Pisarenko / Ap Photo/natacha Pisarenko)
“You always want to be there; I felt it, and I got the chance,” said Romo, who started the game after starting the opener on the bench — a strategic change by the Mexican coach that paid off.
South Korea put pressure on the Mexican team throughout the game. Late in the scoreless first half, Jae-sung Lee came close to giving South Korea the lead. Aguirre hoped his team would shake off nerves following the emotional opener at Azteca Stadium and show more bite in its second game against South Korea, but his team didn’t have much power behind its attack during the game’s first 45 minutes.
The crowd in Guadalajara grew frustrated and began booing the Mexican national team’s performance at the end of the first half.
Mexico, however, won back their cheers when it capitalized on South Korea’s costly mistake and converted it into a goal.
Obed Vargas replaced Romo in the 71st minute and was close to scoring a spectacular goal if not for Seung-gyu’s save.
El Tri earned a win without any other goals thanks, in part, to a great night by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, who stopped a header by Cho Gue-sung in the 87th minute. Captain Edson Álvarez helped turn away South Korea’s attack late, holding up relatively well despite having left ankle surgery during the past year.
“It was just a reflex,” said Rangel, whose club team Chivas plays at at Guadalajara Stadium. “I was very focused and stepped up when the team needed me, and I’m happy about that.”
LAFC star and South Korea captain Son Heung-min fired one shot over Mexico’s goalkeeper in the first half, but Álvarez cleared it off the line before the referee ruled Son was offsides.
South Korea finished controlling possession 58% of the time, but it only earned two shots on target.
“It wasn’t a good game because they didn’t let us do much,” Aguirre said.
Mexico was coming off a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa, while the South Koreans had defeated the Czech Republic 2-1, marking their first World Cup opening-match win since 2010.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico was eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 1978, breaking a streak of seven consecutive appearances in the knockout rounds. However, playing on home soil, the team’s goal is to emulate El Tri’s achievements in 1970 and 1986, when they reached the quarterfinals — the country’s best World Cup finish.
Due to the new 48-team format, Mexico would need to win two knockout-round matches and reach a sixth game to realize its goals.
“We’re taking it one step at a time; first, there’s the third game,” Romo said.
Mexico’s Luis Romo celebrates with his teammates after scoring during a match against South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday.
(Natacha Pisarenko / Associated Press)
After the win over South Korea, Mexico will close out group play against Czechia at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Wednesday. El Tri will get to play the first two games of the knockout round — should it win the first one — at Azteca Stadium, a venue where it has never lost a World Cup game.
South Korea has four points and will be favored when it plays South Africa Wednesday in Monterrey. If South Korea wins the match, it would be the Group A runner-up and advance to play the Group B runner-up on June 28 at SoFi Stadium.
“We want all nine points,” Vargas said of Mexico’s goal entering its next game against Czechia.
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Who’ll win the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? The race is on for who’ll score the most goals at the tournament, and it is set to be one of the tournament’s most closely watched storylines.
Several of the world’s top forwards will be aiming to finish as the competition’s leading goalscorer. Kylian Mbappé enters the tournament after winning the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, and Mikel Oyarzabal are among the other players expected to challenge for the award.
And check out our list of all the 2026 World Cup goals, ranked!
Favorites To Win The Golden Boot
Harry Kane: +310 (bet $10 to win $41 total)
Lionel Messi: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Kylian Mbappé: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Erling Haaland: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Kai Havertz: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Vinícius Júnior: +3300 (bet $10 to win $340 total)
Folarin Balogun: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Mikel Oyarzabal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Lamine Yamal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Raphinha: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Michael Olise: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Romelu Lukaku: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Viktor Gyökeres: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Cody Gakpo: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
Cristiano Ronaldo: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
3 Goals
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2 Goals
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Harry Kane (England)
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Harry Kane (England)
Elijah Just (New Zealand)
Yasin Ayari (Sweden)
Kai Havertz (Germany)
Folarin Balogun (USA)
1 Goal
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)
Rubén Vargas (Switzerland)
Ermin Mahmic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Michal Sadilek (Czechia)
Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)
Jáminton Campaz (Colombia)
Luis Díaz (Colombia)
Daniel Muñoz (Colombia)
Abbosbek Fayzullaev (Uzbekistan)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Martin Baturina (Croatia)
Petar Musa (Croatia)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
João Neves (Portugal)
Marko Arnautović (Austria)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
João Neves (Portugal)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana)
Ali Olwan (Jordan)
Romano Schmid (Austria)
Leo Østigard (Norway)
Ayman Hussein (Iraq)
Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal)
Bradley Barcola (France)
Ramin Rezaeian (Iran)
Mohammad Mohebbi (Iran)
Maxi Araújo (Uruguay)
Abdulelah Al-Amri (Saudi Arabia)
Emam Ashour (Egypt)
Alexander Isak (Sweden)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)
Mattias Svanberg (Sweden)
Omar Rekik (Tunisia)
Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
Keito Nakamura (Japan)
Daichi Kamada (Japan)
Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands)
Felix Nmecha (Germany)
Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Nathaniel Brown (Germany)
Deniz Undav (Germany)
Connor Metcalfe (Australia)
Nestory Irankunda (Australia)
John McGinn (Scotland)
Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
Breel Embolo (Switzerland)
Gio Reyna (USA)
Mauricio (Paraguay)
Cyle Larin (Canada)
Jovo Lukić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Ladislav Krejcí (Czechia)
Julián Quiñones (Mexico)
Raúl Jimenez (Mexico)
Hwang In-Beom (South Korea)
Oh Hyeon-Gyu (South Korea)
Own Goals
Yazan Al-Arab (Jordan; 1)
Ayman Hussein (Iraq; 1)
Mohamed Hany (Egypt; 1)
Miro Muheim (Switzerland; 1)
Damián Bobadilla (Paraguay; 1)
Last 5 Golden Boot Winners
- 2022 (Qatar): Kylian Mbappé (France) – 8 goals
- 2018 (Russia): Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals
- 2014 (Brazil): James Rodríguez (Colombia) – 6 goals
- 2010 (South Africa): Thomas Müller (Germany) – 5 goals
- 2006 (Germany): Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 5 goals
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