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Teoscar Hernández deferred $8.5 million of his salary with the Dodgers because he believed he would meet expectations—he did. Now, Hernández enters the postseason with the “underdog” Dodgers and is eager to compete against the San Diego Padres.
“Me, I wanted San Diego,” Hernández told Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times. “Just because of the adrenaline and the intensity, just the history of these two teams. I think this is the best scenario for us. And not only us, but the whole baseball world.”
The Dodgers outfielder echoed the simple statement of Padres third baseman Manny Machado after San Diego executed a sweep over the Atlanta Braves Wednesday night.
“This,” Machado said, “is what everyone wanted to see.”
Although the top-seeded Dodgers managed to clinch the division title, Los Angeles struggled to compete against the Padres this season. The Dodgers lost eight of 13 meetings with San Diego.
According to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the NLDS matchup was almost inevitable.
“It’s felt like it’s been on a collision course for that,” Friedman added. “It’ll be really good baseball.”
The opponent certainly isn’t the easiest matchup for the Dodgers, but it’s a rematch many are eager to witness. In 2022, San Diego managed to defeat the Dodgers in four games, handing Los Angeles a first-round exit.
It was a shocking loss for a Dodgers team that had won 111 regular season games. The 2022 Dodgers had no flaws, or so it seemed.
But the Padres had something two years ago that Los Angeles lacked: energy. The difference between both dugouts was astonishing. It was almost as if the Dodgers were playing too placidly.
The 2024 Dodgers are by no means bulletproof. In fact, the current roster was hampered by injury throughout the season. But this team has a passion and energy that Dodgers fans haven’t seen in several seasons.
“We know they’re gonna bring a lot of energy,” utilityman Chris Taylor said. “That’s the way they always play us. And from that aspect, I think we understand we have to also bring the energy to an extent. We understand they’re gonna give us everything they have. And they’re a really good team too. So we have to play our best baseball.”
Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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