Speaker 1: We're joined right now by key K Hernandez. When you
Speaker 1: spell clutch in LA, it's not with the C, it's
Speaker 1: with the K. For key K. You really have started
Speaker 1: to turn it on like you always do at this
Speaker 1: time of year. I know, obviously yesterday did not go
Speaker 1: the way you wanted, but KEYK feels like here in
Speaker 1: rare form again.
Speaker 2: Uh yeah, you know, we we're we're in the final
Speaker 2: stretch and we're playing very important games. And you know,
Speaker 2: the more the game means, the better.
Speaker 3: Uh, you know, the best of me comes out.
Speaker 2: And I don't know, I don't know, it's it's a
Speaker 2: weird feeling to describe it, but uh yeah, it's very
Speaker 2: important games and we need people to step up to
Speaker 2: the occasion. And you know, I've been able to have
Speaker 2: a good last few games, and you know, obviously it
Speaker 2: feels way better when you have a good game and
Speaker 2: we win than when you have a good game and
Speaker 2: we don't win. So, uh, you know, just trying to
Speaker 2: do my part, obviously, uh, knowing my role and all that,
Speaker 2: So just being ready for whenever my name gets called upon,
Speaker 2: if a it's called upon, If not, then you know,
Speaker 2: bring whatever I can bring to the team. To to
Speaker 2: help the team win even when I'm not in the
Speaker 2: on the field.
Speaker 3: Key k.
Speaker 1: The mantra of former Dodger teams that you were part
Speaker 1: of was to be where your feet are. Do you
Speaker 1: feel like this team needs to recalibrate to be where
Speaker 1: your feet are as far as not worried about the
Speaker 1: way things ended last night or what is transpired in
Speaker 1: the future or in the past.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I don't. I don't.
Speaker 2: Uh, I don't necessarily think that people are, you know,
Speaker 2: thinking about.
Speaker 3: Yesterday, last night, today, But uh, yeah, you know, we
Speaker 3: need to.
Speaker 2: We need to realize the important of these games, and
Speaker 2: uh we.
Speaker 3: Need to lock it in. We we need to.
Speaker 2: We can't give extra houts on defense. We can't give
Speaker 2: extra ninety feet, we can't run into outs on the
Speaker 2: basis because, uh, every.
Speaker 3: Run is going to be crucial from here on out,
Speaker 3: especially you know.
Speaker 2: As we get closer to the playoffs, and in the playoffs,
Speaker 2: every run.
Speaker 3: Is is absolutely critical.
Speaker 2: So uh, you know we can, uh we can let
Speaker 2: the up. We can't give them extra outs, and we
Speaker 2: can't run into house on the bases, and you know,
Speaker 2: we just got to play better fundamental baseball.
Speaker 3: And you know, today's a good is.
Speaker 2: A new day, and we got Jack on the mountain
Speaker 2: and we're feeling pretty good about that.
Speaker 1: Key K Hernandez is our guest. Key K, you were
Speaker 1: playing every day at third base for the better part
Speaker 1: of two months. You, like you said, you embraced your role,
Speaker 1: gone back to the bench and have been ready in
Speaker 1: the biggest moments. How has the preparation changed for you,
Speaker 1: maybe even from three years ago.
Speaker 2: I mean a lot back then I had to do
Speaker 2: was just grab my leg, grab my arm, and I
Speaker 2: was ready to go.
Speaker 3: And uh, you know, as you get a.
Speaker 2: Little older, it takes a little more preparation to to
Speaker 2: get ready to play, and especially to come off the
Speaker 2: bench where you know, finchitting is the hardest thing to
Speaker 2: do in all sports, and uh, you know when you
Speaker 2: got to come in and face the guy throwing really hard,
Speaker 2: and not not just that, but you also got to
Speaker 2: be ready to you know, once the ball gets put
Speaker 2: on play, put in play, you gotta be able to
Speaker 2: run one hundred percent, and so you got to be
Speaker 2: fully loose and that's kind of hard to do coming
Speaker 2: off the bench and things like that. But you know,
Speaker 2: I've done it for a long time. Uh, the process
Speaker 2: is different than back in the day, but uh but
Speaker 2: uh you know the the goal is the same and
Speaker 2: and the ejector is the same, so you know, uh,
Speaker 2: like you said, Uh, just making sure that I'm ready
Speaker 2: whatever situation, whatever position, whatever it is that I need
Speaker 2: to do to help the team win.
Speaker 3: That's what I'm here for.
Speaker 1: There used to be a pr official with the Dodgers
Speaker 1: with Kik the first time around, named Dace Suke Segura
Speaker 1: and his family owns a sushi restaurant here in Los Angeles,
Speaker 1: and I guess they're trying to bring the good luck
Speaker 1: sushi to the Dodgers because you said they're in the clubhouse.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they're here today.
Speaker 2: They're usually here on Fridays, but uh, of course we
Speaker 2: don't have any more Friday.
Speaker 3: Left in the regular season.
Speaker 2: But uh yeah, bar Ayama one of the better, if
Speaker 2: not the best Japanese restaurants I've had in the in
Speaker 2: l A. And uh, lucky for us, they're here cooking
Speaker 2: for us today. And uh you know their their grandparents
Speaker 2: now because I had a kid, uh kids raising kids,
Speaker 2: So uh, you know dies but dies back in his
Speaker 2: home in Japan, but uh, you know he's missed around here?
Speaker 1: Can you give La your sushi order if you're on
Speaker 1: a dinner date with your wife? What's Kik's go to
Speaker 1: or do you let the sushi chef dictate?
Speaker 3: Depends?
Speaker 2: If I go to Barhayama, you know you trust that
Speaker 2: they're going to bring all the good stuff. But I
Speaker 2: honestly can't give you my sushi order here because it's
Speaker 2: way too long. And wow, my wife usually let me
Speaker 2: let me do the picking, and uh, I usually order
Speaker 2: too much food to where we can't even eat that
Speaker 2: we order.
Speaker 1: So yeah, all right, so it's not just the avocado roll.
Speaker 3: No, no, not at all. That is not sushi.
Speaker 2: Bro.
Speaker 1: Thanks for the time, Kik and Los Angeles, like I
Speaker 1: tell you every time we talk, appreciates everything you stand for,
Speaker 1: everything that you do as far as just leaving it
Speaker 1: all out on the field and it doesn't go unnoticed.
Speaker 1: And we'll be talking next time with you celebrating in champagne.
Speaker 3: Oh thanks Dave, Thanks for fluffing me up. I love that.
Speaker 1: There he goes Key k Hernandez, don't be at the
Speaker 1: sushi table with him up