Sports
Shell yeah: Teoscar Hernández is the Dodgers' always-smiling, seed-throwing motivator
The $23.5 million that the Dodgers are paying Teoscar Hernández this season isn’t just for the power and run production he provides, his ability to play the corner outfield spots and his boundless energy and enthusiasm on the field and in the clubhouse.
It’s seed money.
Whenever a Dodgers player hits a home run, Hernández showers the batter with sunflower seeds as he returns to the dugout, a tradition the 31-year-old from the Dominican Republic with the bushy beard and toothy grin started in Toronto a few years ago and brought with him to Seattle in 2023 and Los Angeles this season.
And if Hernández goes deep — like he did when his dramatic three-run blast to right-center field capped a seven-run ninth inning in an 11-9 come-from-behind victory over the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field on Tuesday night — another player will grab a fistful or two of seeds and toss them at the slugger.
“This game is hard enough — it brings too much stress — so you have to have fun,” said Hernández, who signed a one-year deal in January after the Mariners did not extend a qualifying offer last winter. “I know hitting a home run is good, but this is just a little extra motivation for the guy who hits it and for the other players.”
Hernández, who played six seasons (2017-2022) for the Blue Jays, doesn’t remember the exact moment he started the tradition because it was a spur-of-the-moment thing.
“Everybody had something to celebrate the homer, but we didn’t have anything at that time,” he said. “There was a bucket with like 20 bags of seeds in the dugout, so I just grabbed one and threw it in the air, and then everybody started doing it.”
There is a proper technique to the sunflower-seed shower, though, one Hernández had to school his Blue Jays teammates on.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández is hit with sunflower seeds after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves in May.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“Some guys at the beginning, they misunderstood, and they were throwing them hard,” Hernández said. “Sometimes you get them in the eyes, and sometimes you get them straight in the mouth. The key is to throw the seeds up and let them walk through them.”
Mookie Betts was the first Dodger to receive the sunflower-seed treatment after he hit the team’s first homer of the season, a two-run shot in a March 21 loss to the San Diego Padres in South Korea. The celebration quickly took root.
“I’ve seen a lot of home run celebrations, but I had never seen a sunflower-seed shower before,” Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said. “He started doing it the [second] game of the season with Mookie, and he’s been doing it ever since. It makes us feel really good. It makes everything more enjoyable. And that’s kind of what this team is about.”
It’s what Hernández has always been about. When Hernández hit a two-run double in the 11th inning of a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees on June 7 and a game-breaking grand slam in the eighth inning of an 11-3 win the following night in Yankee Stadium, the back-page headline of Sunday’s New York Post read: “Oscar the Grouch.”
But if Hernández were a Sesame Street character, he’d be Guy Smiley.
“I’m always laughing. I rarely get mad,” Hernández said. “You can go around and ask people, ‘Have you ever seen Teo mad?’ I don’t think they’re gonna say yes. Everybody knows the way I play on the field and act off the field. I’m the same person. I just like to bring joy and happiness to everybody so they can feel good and relax.”
“You feel the adrenaline, and you obviously get up for those kinds of games, when you play in the big moments, the big situations.”
— Teoscar Hernández
Hernández’s exuberance seems to have rubbed off on his teammates, and his attitude and approach seem suited for pressure-packed situations, as he showed during the much-hyped series pitting a pair of historic rivals and potential World Series foes in Yankee Stadium two weekends ago.
Hernández went six for 12 with three homers, two doubles and nine RBIs in the three games against the Yankees.
“Teo was on another level [in New York], on the biggest stage of the season so far, and it makes you excited, because that’s where we want to go,” Rojas said. “We want to get to the playoffs, to the World Series, where the stage is going to be even bigger. And we have a guy who can put the team on his shoulders.”
The Dodgers don’t necessarily need Hernández to carry them in October — they’ve added two-time American League valuable player Shohei Ohtani to a star-studded lineup that includes Freddie Freeman and Will Smith and is waiting for dynamic leadoff man Betts and slugger Max Muncy to return from injuries.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández throws sunflower seeds at teammate Mookie Betts during a game against the Giants in April.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
But after their bats went cold in National League Division Series losses to the Padres in 2022 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, it can’t hurt to have another big bat with the potential to thrive on an October stage.
“You feel the adrenaline, and you obviously get up for those kinds of games, when you play in the big moments, the big situations,” Hernández said. “But I try to be the same guy, to be myself, and to not put pressure on myself. I’m not trying to do too much, because that’s when everything starts to go the opposite way that you want it to go.”
Hernández, who entered Friday night’s game against the Angels with a .261 average, .834 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 18 homers, 16 doubles and a team-high 54 RBIs, has been solid in the clutch, batting .225 (20 for 89) with an .823 OPS, six homers, five doubles and one triple with runners in scoring position.
He’s batting .308 (four for 13) with a 1.154 OPS, two homers, one double and 12 RBIs with the bases loaded, his other grand slam coming in the sixth inning of a 5-1 win at San Diego on May 11.
“I’ve said it before, he reminds me a little bit of Manny Ramirez in the sense that when guys are on base, certainly with runners in scoring position, he’s even better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ve seen that all year from him. He’s sneaky been the MVP of our club.”
Teoscar Hernández hits a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers on June 11.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“When you look back at last year, I was hitting the ball hard, but everybody knows how the ball travels at T-Mobile Park. Now, I’m hitting the ball hard and getting the production that I expect.”
— Teoscar Hernández
Hernández hit two homers and drove in four runs in a 6-3 win over St. Louis on March 29 homered and drove in all three runs of a 3-1 win over Miami on May 8. He was named NL player of the week after hitting .260 (nine for 25) with a 1.389 OPS, four homers, 10 RBIs, three doubles and six runs in six games from June 3-9.
“He’s been big, especially with Max being out,” right fielder Jason Heyward said, referring to Muncy, who has been sidelined since May 16 because of a rib-cage strain. “He had some big hits to start the season, some big at-bats, some big homers for us. No doubt, he’s helped hold things down.”
The Dodgers thought the right-handed-hitting Hernández would benefit from a change of scenery. Hernández hit just .217 with a .643 OPS, 12 homers and 44 RBIs in Seattle’s pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park last season and .295 with an .830 OPS, 14 homers and 49 RBIs on the road.
“When you look back at last year, I was hitting the ball hard, but everybody knows how the ball travels at T-Mobile Park,” Hernández said. “Now, I’m hitting the ball hard and getting the production that I expect.”
While his plate discipline will never rival that of Yankees star Juan Soto, Hernández has been more selective than he was in 2023, when he hit .258 with a .741 OPS, 26 homers, 29 doubles, 93 RBIs, 211 strikeouts–third most in baseball — and just 38 walks.
His 92 strikeouts this season are the fifth-most in the major leagues, but he’s walked 27 times, lowering his strikeout rate from 31.1% last season to 28.4% this season and boosting his walk rate from 5.6% in 2023 to 8.4% in 2024.
According to Fangraphs, Hernández’s 29.3% chase rate, the percentage of pitches he swings at outside the strike zone, is down from last year’s 34.5%.
Teoscar Hernández watches from the dugout during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on May 20.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“They’re going down, little by little,” Hernández said of his strikeout and chase rates. “I think it’s experience, understanding everything you need to do to get better and to execute a game plan. One of my goals for this year is to bring the strikeouts down and increase the walks so I can get on base more. That way, I can help the team get better.”
Hernández’s productive bat has been a constant in the middle of the lineup — he and Freeman are the only two Dodgers who have started all 77 games — and his effervescent smile rarely takes a night or an at-bat off.
“I’ve seen him get frustrated about chasing a pitch, striking out in a big spot or making a mistake in the field, but he goes back to normal real quick, faster than anybody that I’ve ever seen,” Rojas said. “Then he’ll get excited when he does something really good for the team. That’s why it’s important to have a guy like Teoscar. He brings the energy.”
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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post.
“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”
Ponder was 23 years old.
Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder.
Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt.
The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen.
Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)
“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”
Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing.
Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)
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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote.
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Sunday was “Senior Night” for the USC women’s basketball team at Galen Center, but it was the other team’s seniors who stole the show.
Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 points, Kiki Rice had 11 points and four assists and Lauren Betts had 15 rebounds and five assists as UCLA wrapped up the regular season with a 73-50 victory over its rival and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time since going 18-0 in the Pac-10 in 1998-99 under Kathy Olivier.
Having already clinched the regular-season title, UCLA became the first team to navigate the Big Ten schedule without a loss since Maryland in 2014-15.
“These are two elite programs, we knew it would be different tonight, we knew they’d come with fire,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, who improved to 9-4 against the Trojans since counterpart Lindsay Gottlieb started at USC in 2021. “We knew we’d have to do it with our defense, our rebounding and by taking care of the ball.”
It was the Bruins’ 22nd consecutive win, one shy of the record they set last season. Since their lone loss to then-No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, they have won by 20 or more points 17 times.
Ranked second in the nation in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls behind defending national champion Connecticut (30-0), the Bruins earned the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in Indianapolis and got a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.
Charlisse Leger-Walker, nicknamed “X-ray vision” by teammates, equaled her season high with 20 points for the Bruins (28-1, 18-0) while Gianna Kneepkens added 14 points and five assists.
“Anytime we play together we know we can win,” Leger-Walker said. “We did a good job looking into the scout. Every game we just think about going 1-0. People scouting us know that all five players on the court can score the ball.”
UCLA center Lauren Betts, left, controls the ball in front of USC forward Vivian Iwuchukwu during the first half Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
UCLA held USC to 27% shooting in the teams’ first meeting — a 34-point Bruins victory at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3 behind Betts’ 18 points. It was USC’s most lopsided loss under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. On Sunday, USC shot 39% and was only three for 19 from three-point range.
“Going undefeated [in conference] is a great step in the right direction towards what we want to accomplish,” said Jaquez, who appreciated the flowers she received before the game from USC. “I love this rivalry. It’s super fun to play against them and it was nice that they honored us too.”
UCLA jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and carried a 19-11 advantage into the second quarter. The Bruins widened the gap to 18 points by halftime, holding the Trojans scoreless for the last 3:08.
USC (17-12, 9-9) opened the second half on an 11-2 run but gave up 14 second-chance points and allowed 22 offensive rebounds.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice, front, and forward Angela Dugalic celebrate as USC guard Kennedy Smith walks away during the first half Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“If we get more possessions than our opponent we’re most likely going to win,” Close said. “We didn’t allow one basket on an out-of-bounds play and they lead the conference in that.”
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, USC’s leading scorer, got into early foul trouble but still finished with 12 points. She was held to 10 points on four-for-15 shooting in the first meeting.
“It was a great crowd, we were in the fight but we didn’t rebound or shoot well enough,” Gottlieb said. “We wanted to keep them out of our paint. We swarmed Betts, double-teamed her and got it out of her hands but other people scored.”
Londynn Jones, who spent three seasons in Westwood (playing in 108 straight games) before transferring to USC for her senior year, was held to six points in the team’s first meeting and nine points (on four-of-10 shooting) in the rematch. The Trojans’ other senior, Kara Dunn, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with eight points.
“I love Londynn,” Close said. “We think she looks better in blue, but we love her and I told her that. I appreciate all she gave to our programs.”
Asked if this is the best team she has ever coached, Close had a one-word answer.
“Yes.”
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Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counter-attack on the country following the U.S.-assisted strikes on Iran.
The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to Fox News Digital announcing the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”
“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read.
“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace are causing considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sport.”
A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began.
Israel’s gymnastics team is considered one of nation’s strongest Olympic programs alongside its Judo and sailing teams. The team is only a week removed from a successful trip at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Germany, where the country’s star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics.
Now, the team will have to seek safety until the attacks are over.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel.
Additionally, the embassy announced that due to the security situation, it would be closed on March 2, and did not give an estimate on when it would be reopening. The closure includes consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The embassy also said it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.” It noted that Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and there there are neither commercial nor charter flights operating from the airport.
On Friday, ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave all non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those looking to leave to do so as soon as possible.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem.
The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.
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Iran’s military has carried out counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
The strikes also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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