The greatness of 8: Kiké Hernández has big game on day when Lakers honor Kobe Bryant’s legacy

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It was fitting that Kiké Hernández would have a great game on an afternoon when former Lakers great Kobe Bryant was honored at Dodger Stadium.

With fans wearing special jerseys honoring Bryant, Hernández — who wears No. 8 for the Dodgers — made a great defensive play and then hit a home run in the fifth inning of a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

“When these days are happening and I’m wearing No. 8, I feel like not a lot of things can go wrong.” said Hernández, who wears No. 8 because Bryant was his favorite player.

Fans received black Dodgers jerseys with No. 8 on the front and No. 24 on the back. The Dodgers script was trimmed in gold and also had a “KB” patch on the sleeve.

Before the game, 7-year-old Bianka Bryant threw out a ceremonial first pitch and 5-year-old Capri Bryant had the honors for the “It’s time for Dodger baseball” announcement — as Vanessa and Natalia Bryant looked on.

Sunday capped a weekend of festivities honoring the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash along with Gigi Bryant and seven others in January 2020.

“Kobe loved baseball. So for the relationship with the city and the Lakers and the Dodgers, to keep that flame burning is great,” manager Dave Roberts said. “With the family here was awesome and to see those jerseys was fun.”

With a runner on first in the top of the fifth, Hernández made a big defensive play when he robbed Tampa Bay’s Ben Rortvedt of an extra-base hit with a running catch near the wall in left-center for the first out.

Then he led off the Dodgers’ fifth by lining a cutter from Jacob Lopez just over the wall in left-center.

“I was able to enjoy the moment and put a good swing on the ball. To do it in front of the Bryant family here today was pretty special,” Hernández said.

It was Hernández’s second homer of the series and No. 9 on the season. He hit a three-run shot on Friday, which would have been Bryant’s 46th birthday.

It was the second time that Hernández has homered on Aug. 23. The first time was in 2020, but that was in a mostly empty ballpark because fans were not allowed to attend games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer