Kiké Hernández says F-bomb cost him money — and almost a game — during Dodgers’ World Series run
Kiké Hernández says he was fined for dropping an F-bomb on live TV after the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
It could have been worse.
According to Hernández, he was originally going to be suspended for a game.
Instead, the free-agent utility player said during a recent interview on “The Shop,” an intervention on his behalf allowed him to take part in all six NL Championship Series games against the New York Mets and all five World Series games against the New York Yankees as the Dodgers went on to claim their second championship in five years.
“I did get fined for that,” Hernández said of his use of profanity during the Oct. 11 broadcast on Fox. “I was going to get an even heftier fine and I was going to get a game suspension, but having a good agent and having a good player union came in handy. They got rid of the suspension and they got to lower down the fine a little bit, which was good.”
Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Assn. and the Wasserman agency, which represents Hernández, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kiké Hernández was a hero for the Dodgers in 2017, and he showed in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres what he can do when the season is at stake.
Hernández was one of the heroes in the Dodgers’ series-clinching win over the Padres, having hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to start the scoring in the eventual 2-0 victory. After the game, Hernández was asked on air by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal what is the difference between this Dodgers team and previous ones.
Hernández paused and looked around for more than five seconds before asking, “Are we live?”
After Rosenthal confirmed the interview was being broadcast live, Hernández immediately answered the question.
“The fact that we don’t give a f—,” said Hernández, who then gave Rosenthal a toothy grin during a brief yet awkward pause. Rosenthal then thanked Hernández and ended the interview.
The next day, Hernández issued an apology through MLB.com, although he told “The Shop” it was only half sincere.
“I did have to apologize, which you could say [was] 50/50 on the honesty part of it,” he said.
Hernández explained his reasoning for choosing to use adult language in front of a national TV audience.
“What I answered was my honest answer from the bottom of my heart and I didn’t think there was any other way of describing the team,” Hernández said. “And I felt like I had already taken awhile to think about my answer, ‘cause I didn’t want to answer it that way. But when I asked if we were live, he said yes and I figured, ‘There’s got to be some sort of delay,’ you know?
“There was no delay and I was on live TV cussing, and there was a lot of criticizing that. I think it made the postseason run a little more epic for the fans ‘cause they bought into that. They bought into that mentality and they had fun with it too.”
Bidding for Freddie Freeman’s World Series walk-off grand slam ball that a 10-year-old boy caught didn’t heat up until the final moments, with the auction ending at $1.56 million.
Although the league has no specific rules regarding players using profanity on TV, MLB Rule 21 states that the league can punish players for “acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of baseball.”
The Federal Communications Commission has rules regarding the use of “grossly offensive” language during network TV broadcasts, but it is typically the broadcaster that is penalized after violations of those rules.
Fox Sports and the FCC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Dodgers declined to comment.
Hernández was also asked where he might end up after free agency.
“I wish I knew,” he said. “Main priority for me would probably be coming back. The Dodgers are very well-positioned to make another run. ... If not [the Dodgers], then somewhere where the team is positioned to go on a deep run in October, ‘cause I need to have October baseball. That’s part of who I am. I’m just kind of addicted to playoff baseball and I need that in my life.”
Closer Devin Williams, owner of the ‘Airbender’ changeup, wasn’t blowing smoke when he said he’d been told he’d be traded to the Dodgers. Instead, he went to the Yankees.
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