Dodgers: Kiké Hernández’s postgame Mookie Betts quote is amazing

Kiké Hernández knows the difference between this year’s Dodgers team and last year’s, and his name is Mookie Betts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a fairly significant impediment to their World Series dreams on Sunday night, capping a comeback from down 3-1 to the Atlanta Braves to swipe the NLCS.

After Corey Seager and Will Smith did incredible work in setting things up in Games 5 and 6, Kiké Hernández and Cody Bellinger delivered the fatal body blows late in Game 7, socking the game-tying and game-winning homers, victimizing AJ Minter and Chris Martin.

If you know Hernández, though, you know that he brings a goofy persona to the table, and is both deferential and boastful. You may have noticed his bravado in the postgame media scrum, admitting that Bellinger should’ve known not to bump forearms with a stronger specimen like himself if he didn’t want to succumb to injury.

But Hernández knows the score. And if you want to see a perfect example of his humility, acknowledging the team’s star power, look no further than the way he introduced Mookie Betts to the gathered media in the post-Game 7 Zoom session.

https://twitter.com/realFRG/status/1318083487488901121?s=20

Yes! That’s correct, sir!

The main difference between this year’s Dodgers roster and last year’s crew is Betts, who came to Los Angeles in an ill-advised trade (from Boston’s end of things) and immediately brought an additional superstar to the lineup (and defensive alignment).

Betts shone on defense in this NLCS, robbing home runs and doubling off runners with reckless abandon; he also started to get his legs under him at the plate by the end of the series. Nobody is more perfectly set up for the national stage of the World Series.

And that is the real goal, after all. As Hernández said, this whole thing isn’t done until there’s a ring present.

When the Dodgers take the field behind Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday night, Betts will be front and center.

But you don’t win a World Series without absurdly clutch hits from unexpected sources like Hernández, too, something I’m sure Mookie will remind him repeatedly. This is a 25-man job, and it’s not done yet.

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