NL DIVISION SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS DODGERS

October 11, 2023

Enrique Hernandez

Chase Field

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. Dave Roberts mentioned there would be lineup changes today. You will be there in center field. What do you think about stepping in considering the situation that's at hand, Diamondbacks leading the series, you guys are facing elimination. Just stepping into this, you obviously are familiar with the postseason, but your mindset going into tonight? And at what point did Dave tell you that this could be a possibility of you playing in center?

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ: He told me on the flight here. I knew two nights ago that I was going to play center field. Like you said, I've played in a lot of these, a lot of must-win games. So I kind of know what to expect.

I'm ready. I don't think this team brought me here to help them win 100 games. They brought me here to help them win games in situations like these. And they put me in the lineup and now it's up to me to come through.

Q. You've been around this team. Obviously except for the last couple of years in Boston, you've been on this team a long time. You've been with this team when its won. What does it take to overcome something like this, what you guys have done in the past?

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ: 2020 we went through a similar situation down 3-1 to the Braves, and we overcame that and come from behind and win that series.

I think in situations like this it's very easy to look like what's ahead of you instead of what's like right in front of you. And it's very easy for people to say, we won three games in a row this many times throughout the year.

For me personally I think the mentality should be win one, win today, because that's all that matters. Today is the only thing that matters. And we wake up tomorrow and we do it all over again.

But there's no sense in looking and trying to win three games because you're only playing one tonight. And I think for us it's very important to find that edge again. And in the first couple of innings is very important to set the tone, just the same way they've done it to us both games of the series. And that's going to be key.

We've gotten punched in the face, punched in the mouth, whatever you want to call it, twice, and it's up to us to punch them right back because I'm a big UFC fan -- the best fights are the ones back and forth, not the ones that are one-sided. That's got to be the mentality.

Q. You played in this ballpark many times in many different positions, but probably for the first time it's going to be every seat filled here. How does an outfield play with a capacity crowd like that? And are there any nuances about this particular ballpark that will challenge you as a center fielder?

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ: I think we played here in 2017 in the playoffs. Only one game, but they drew a pretty good crowd. Obviously this is a stadium where obviously if it was closed, all domes tend to be louder when they're closed.

That being said, I think more than the fans -- I'm used to playing in front of big crowds. It's October, you expect big crowds no matter what.

I think the factor of the roof being open is probably going to play possibly a bigger role than having a large crowd in the stadium because we don't tend to play with the roof open here. I heard the ball travels a little more.

But other than that, when it comes to challenges in center field, it's a lot bigger center field than Dodger Stadium, a lot more room to cover, a little similar to Fenway in some ways with the big wall in center field.

In Fenway you've got the big wall behind you in center field. And left-center you've got the Green Monster. A lot of room to cover right center.

To me, I feel more comfortable when I have a lot of room to cover than when it's a smaller stadium because I feel a little more restricted because I've got to be more aware of the wall.

But I think probably here the biggest challenge would be where those two decks come out, like, to the left and just slightly to the right of center field, and playing those balls off the wall, it's going to ricochet really hard back. Hopefully balls stay off the wall tonight.

Q. You've got a really good postseason history performing on very important moments. What do you think makes you so good in thriving in this stage?

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ: I'm no mental performance coach, no brain doctor or anything. Just the way I put it is, I like to be in the moment. I want to be in the big moment. I want the big at-bat.

I feel like I've been preparing for these types of moments my entire life. I never just dreamed about playing the Big Leagues, but I always envisioned myself, as a little kid, playing in the World Series, big moment in the World Series.

I think possibly a little bit of it comes with culture. In Puerto Rico, at a very young age, games mean a lot. And you've got parents on the other side talking a lot of smack.

So when you're a young kid and you get exposed to that at a very early age, it kind of prepares you for the bigger picture.

And I think experience helps a lot. And I've been fortunate enough to be on some really good teams that have made it deep into October, and it's allowed me to play a lot of games in October. And experience means a lot when it comes to these types of moments.

Q. How would you describe the mood, the attitude, the focus of you and your teammates coming into this Game 3? And how is that different if it is at all, is that same focus going into the first two games?

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ: I think right now it's as good as it can be. We are as calm and collected as we can be, but you also sense -- you can also feel the sense of urgency in there, which is what we need because there's no tomorrow. We've got to play every pitch of tonight with a lot of urgency because this could be it.

Things haven't gone our way, but we still believe in us. We still believe in the group, and we're confident that all it takes is one inning for this thing to turn around. And that's where we're going to try to establish the tone early tonight.