Kike Hernandez got a roar when he was introduced at Isotopes Park on Tuesday night, his first trip to the plate in Albuquerque drawing a reception that sounded more like a homecoming than a rehab start. The 34-year-old was batting second for the Oklahoma City Comets in front of an announced crowd of 7,976.
It was the first time Hernandez had ever stepped to the plate inside Isotopes Park, and it came about one week into the playing portion of his rehabilitation from November tendon surgery in his left elbow. Oklahoma City went on to lose to the Albuquerque Isotopes 2-1 in 10 innings, while Hernandez went 0-for-6 in Albuquerque through the first two games of the series and was hitting.133 in five games with the Comets.
Hernandez said Wednesday that the ovation left him “a little bit shocked” and “slightly embarrassed, but good.” He also said he had no idea so many Dodgers fans would be in the ballpark Tuesday night. “No,” he said when asked if he knew what to expect. “First time here. I had no clue. I didn't even know what to expect. All I knew about Albuquerque was that it was a really high elevation.”
The reaction fit the setting. Albuquerque families still include many Dodgers fans because of the city’s long history as the club’s Triple-A affiliate through the Albuquerque Dukes, and Hernandez has spent enough time in Los Angeles to be a familiar name here. He is a three-time World Series champion with the Dodgers, and this rehab assignment is his first that kept him out of spring training.
For Hernandez, the assignment is less about the noise in the stands than the work between the lines. “I mean, it's basically still like the first week of spring training for me, so as far as my elbow and my health, I feel good,” he said. “Still trying to get ready, getting my rhythm and have my body feel good enough to play a full game, trying to get timing and all that at the plate.”
The weekend took another turn Wednesday, when Albuquerque beat Oklahoma City 8-2 and improved to 25-16. The win gave the Isotopes a 3.0-game lead over Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League standings, a margin they had not held at any point of a season since 2012. Brusdar Graterol was also on rehab assignment with the Comets in Albuquerque, and he walked one and struck out two Isotopes in a scoreless inning Tuesday.
