Padres star had surprising take on Enrique Hernandez's pitching

Enrique Hernandez. Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Padres star had surprising take after Dodgers let Enrique Hernandez pitch

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 5:21 AM ET

Enrique Hernandez’s versatility as a utility man truly knows no bounds.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were getting blown out by the San Diego Padres 9-0 in the 6th inning of Tuesday’s game at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. With a comeback unlikely, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to have Hernandez eat some innings.

Hernandez actually did a decent job during his time on the mound, limiting the Padres to just a single earned run with two walks across 2.1 innings pitched. San Diego won 11-1.

Padres slugger Jackson Merrill sounded impressed with Hernandez as he spoke to reporters after the game.

“That was the nastiest cutter I’ve ever seen,” Merrill said of Hernandez’s pitching, via Marty Caswell of The Sporting Tribune. “He would literally step out of the batter’s eye, and [the ball] would go across the whole other batter’s box and the plate, and land in the zone. It was nasty. Shoutout to [Enrique].”

Reporters had to clarify if Merrill was being sarcastic. The 22-year-old All-Star assured them he was dead serious. He added that he probably would not get a hit off Hernandez if they faced each other again.

Hernandez got Merrill to ground out in three pitches. The Puerto Rican’s three pitches to Jackson all hovered around 50 mph.

Tuesday’s game was the third time Hernandez pitched for the Dodgers this season. He entered the game with no runs allowed across 2.0 innings.

With a 2.08 ERA through three games as a pitcher, Enrique may be angling to follow in Shohei Ohtani’s footsteps as a two-way player.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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