LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: Enrique Hernández #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after his solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the second inning of Game Five of the Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
For Los Angeles Dodgers fans, Enrique “Kiké” Hernández is the kind of player you love to root for—scrappy, versatile, clutch, and always good for a laugh. But during the Dodgers' 2024 playoff run, Hernández delivered an unfiltered, live-TV moment that could’ve cost him dearly. Let’s just say it was a postseason “bomb” of a different kind.
It all went down after the Dodgers dispatched the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the NLDS. Hernández, beaming from the team’s first NLCS berth in three years, stood on the field with Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal for a postgame interview. When asked what made this year’s Dodgers team different, Kiké paused, flashed a mischievous grin, and asked, “Are we live?”
Rosenthal nodded, and Kiké didn’t hold back: “The fact that we don’t give a f***.”
Kiké on what's different about this Dodgers team:
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 12, 2024
"The fact that we don't give a f---." pic.twitter.com/5JZ4ZgmORD
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Cue the collective gasp of TV producers everywhere. While Dodgers fans howled with laughter and probably nodded in agreement, Major League Baseball wasn’t laughing.
More than two months later, during an appearance on LeBron James' talk show, The Shop, Hernández revealed the fallout from the f-bomb heard round the world.
MLB hit him with a fine and initially planned to suspend him for Game 1 of the NLCS. But thanks to some skillful maneuvering by his agent at Wasserman and the MLB Players Association, Kiké dodged the suspension, though not the fine.
Kiké Hernández revealed on @theshop his 'are we live?' interview almost got him suspended. pic.twitter.com/gv049yYyjq
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) December 18, 2024
“I did get fined for that,” Hernández admitted on the show, laughing as he recounted the ordeal. “I was going to get an even heftier fine and a suspension, but having a good agent and a good players’ union came in handy. They got rid of the suspension and lowered the fine a little bit.”
And the apology MLB required? Kiké described it as “50/50 on the honesty part of it.”
What made the moment so quintessentially Kiké was his unrepentant honesty. “What I answered was from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “I didn’t think there was any other way to describe the team.”
Dodgers fans have every reason to be thankful for Kiké’s quick save off the field—because on it, he was electric. In Game 1 of the NLCS, he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored as the Dodgers trounced the New York Mets, 9-0. That performance set the tone for a postseason run that ended with the Dodgers hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Hernández’s clutch hitting, combined with his trademark defensive versatility, made him a vital piece of the Dodgers’ championship puzzle. Over the postseason, he slashed .294/.357/.451, proving yet again why he’s been a fan favorite in Los Angeles.
This wasn’t the first time Kiké had stolen the spotlight in a Dodgers playoff run, and it likely won’t be the last. Now a free agent, Hernández has left the door open for a return to the Dodgers, where he’s cemented himself as a clubhouse leader and big-game performer.
Kiké Hernández says that re-signing with the Dodgers is his “main priority.” pic.twitter.com/2PHzeluEoo
— Dodgers360 (@dodgers_360) December 17, 2024
And as for that infamous F-bomb? Well, it’s just another chapter in the legend of Kiké Hernández. If anything, it only adds to his charm. Dodgers fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
