The Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans tolerated an unspectacular 2025 campaign by Teoscar Hernandez, confident that he would step up when the stakes got higher. The slugging outfielder rewarded their faith in a big way on Saturday night, blasting a three-run, go-ahead home run in a 5-3 win in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. A stunned Philadelphia Phillies home crowd grabbed their stomachs and tried to grasp what just happened.

LA found itself in a 3-0 hole early after Shohei Ohtani stumbled at the beginning of his first career playoffs start, but the runaway MVP favorite regained his composure and the team finally started to string together hits in the later innings. October dynamo Kike Hernandez notched a two-run RBI double in the sixth to cut the deficit, and Teoscar Hernandez received a huge opportunity to completely flip momentum in the seventh.

After veteran relief pitcher David Robertson allowed two baserunners, Phillies manager Rob Thomson turned to left-hander Matt Strahm. He retired both Ohtani and Mookie Betts but left a 92 mph fastball in the danger zone for Hernandez. With one 394-foot shot, the Dodgers seized a 5-3 lead on the road. And they did not relinquish it.

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Citizens Bank Park is teeming with passion and LA-inspired contempt, making it an extremely difficult place to play when trailing, but Dave Roberts' ballclub understands how to deal with pressure and the big moment. Although the defending World Series champions uncharacteristically scuffled at various points during the year, they still won yet another NL West title, swept the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Wild Card Round and entered this series on a seven-game winning streak.

Whether it was dormant or on the injured list, a profusion of talent has always been lurking in Los Angeles. It appears ready to explode in October. Hernandez, who batted .247 with 25 homers and a mediocre .738 OPS in 511 regular season at-bats, has now put together a nine-game hitting streak. He has three dingers and nine RBIs in only three playoff matchups. The two-time All-Star is wide awake when it matters most.