MIAMI.- The Dominican Teoscar Hernandez said in an interview with AFP that the winning mentality is the true weapon of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the fashionable franchise in baseball, above the “last names” of its great stars.
Already recovered from physical problems that ruined a good part of his campaign, Hernández is emerging alongside the Japanese star Shohei Ohtani like the Dodgers’ strong cards to try to win the third World Series consecutive.
The 33-year-old player, born in Cotuiwas key in the Angelina offense that won the title of the Major Leagues in 2024 and 2025.
This year the Dodgers and their constellation of stars aspire to win the third ring, a feat last achieved by the New York Yankees between 1998 and 2000.
“To stay at the top you have to do things well and when you win a lot of games it means that the player’s performance is good,” Hernández told AFP in the middle of the series against the Miami Marlins.
Goodbye injury
The Dominican seems to have completely buried the muscle injury in his left leg that plagued him for a good part of the season. In August he resumed the form that made him shine in previous courses with the team Dave Roberts.
He is currently hitting .407 in his last 15 games, with 22 hits, two home runs and 14 RBIs.
The Dodgers, who lead their division with a record of 90 wins and 57 losses, are looking for the best record of the regular season and then face the playoffs, where they expect nothing less than the World Series.
Below are excerpts from Hernández’s interview with AFP:
Q: How do you feel in the final stretch of this campaign, marked by ups and downs on a personal level?
R: “Super good. We started the season well, then the injury came. After I came back I was struggling, trying to find the time, making the necessary adjustments to try to be consistent in the games. It has been difficult, but thank God I was resolving it, the results have been positive and I feel much better.”
“Positive mind”
Q: In that process, how much goes through the physical aspect and how much goes through the mental aspect?
R: “It’s a process that I learned to manage, I know that bad and good moments are going to come, I know that there are going to be times when you don’t even know what you’re doing on the field. That’s part of this career, which is very difficult. It’s not so easy to hit and be consistent for a full year, but at the same time you have to try to keep a positive mind so that the work you do before each game pays off.”
Q: Has your family been important in your recovery?
R: “Yes, it has been important. Having people around you who are supporting you positively, saying that things are going to be fine, is encouragement that always influences our career.”
Q: The Dodgers clubhouse is packed with stars. Is it very different compared to other locker rooms you’ve been in?
R: “Last names here don’t influence that much, there are big names with Hall of Fame careers, but when you come in you simply look at a group of players who arrive with the mentality of winning the game that night. Nobody puts their name in front of them, it’s simply about how to help the team and take it one game at a time and that’s what makes this organization so special.”
Q: What are your goals for the close of the regular season and the playoffs?
R: “Try to continue doing what we did in the last two weeks, I want to be with my team, with my teammates and contribute every day to achieve victory.”
