LOS ANGELES -- Every time a Dodger hits a home run, “Mr. Seeds” is right there to greet him at the top of the dugout with a bucket of sunflower seeds. On Saturday, it was Teoscar Hernández who was on the receiving end.
With Atlanta opting for a bullpen game to open the National League Division Series, it was a scoreless contest through three and a half innings. Victor Mederos came on in relief for the Braves in the fourth, quickly retiring Will Smith before handing Freddie Freeman a walk. That brought up Hernández, who jumped on a 92.4 mph cutter and drove it out to left-center field, snapping the deadlock and giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead.
The two-run shot marked his 11th career postseason home run (ninth with the Dodgers), continuing a pattern of timely playoff production. Since joining Los Angeles, Hernández has now homered in seven of the eight postseason series he has played in, including a 2025 championship campaign where he pounded out five homers and 13 RBIs.
The swing also reinforced Hernández’s standing among baseball's elite October power hitters. Entering the afternoon, he owned one of the best postseason home run rates in modern playoff history. Through his first two at-bats on Saturday, he ranked fifth among active players in postseason home run efficiency -- averaging a big fly every 13.4 at-bats -- trailing only Giancarlo Stanton (9.8), Kyle Schwarber (10.6), Shohei Ohtani (11.7) and Bryce Harper (12.3).
Heading into Saturday’s contest, Hernández carried a career playoff line of .248 with 36 hits, 10 home runs and 29 RBIs across 37 games.