Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker spent much of the season taking heat, but in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, they were the ones carrying the Dodgers.
Los Angeles beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 on Saturday, and the biggest blows came from the two corner outfielders. Hernández and Tucker were the only Dodgers with multiple hits, and each launched a two-run home run to help power the win.
Hernández went 2-for-4 and connected in the fourth inning. Tucker also finished 2-for-4 and added his two-run shot in the sixth.
After Tucker went deep, Max Muncy followed a couple of batters later with a solo home run, but Hernández and Tucker had already done most of the damage. Their four combined hits matched the rest of the Dodgers’ total.
That kind of production marks a sharp turnaround for a pair of players who have been under the microscope all season. Both have fallen short of their usual standards in 2026. Tucker has drawn criticism for not matching the expectations attached to his huge contract, while Hernández was the subject of rumors that he’d be platooned.
Hernández also went through a rough stretch in August, when he hit .211/.259/.303 for most of the month, though he was hardly alone in struggling as several Dodgers slumped during that period. By September, though, Hernández, Tucker and plenty of others had made adjustments, and those changes appear to have followed them into October.
For Hernández, the performance only adds to a postseason résumé that already sits well with Dodgers fans. For Tucker, it matters for a different reason: as a first-year Dodger, putting together playoff moments in Los Angeles blue can go a long way toward erasing the memory of a difficult regular season.
Saturday gave both players exactly what they needed. Tucker’s home run was a statement, Hernández looked like a proven postseason force again, and the Dodgers walked away with a win that put them in strong position if their usual stars can start hitting like themselves.
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