LOS ANGELES — It was fitting that Enrique Hernandez 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, Hernandez — who wears No. 8 for the Dodgers, because Bryant was his favorite player — 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,” Hernandez said.
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 the jerseys had a “KB” patch on the sleeve.
Before the game, 7-year-old Bianka Bryant threw out the 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, Hernandez 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,” ” Hernandez said. “To do it in front of the Bryant family here today was pretty special.”
It was Hernandez’s second homer of the series and No. 9 on the season. He hit a three-run shot Friday, which would have been Bryant’s 46th birthday.
It was the second time that Hernandez homered on Aug. 23. The first time was in 2020, in a mostly empty ballpark because fans were not allowed to attend games due to the coronavirus pandemic.