Kiké is ready to own October again

For Kiké Hernandez, the regular season is little more than a six-month warm-up.

- By KEVIN BAXTER

GINA FERAZZI Los Angeles Times

THE DODGERS' Kiké Hernández, left, has hit .286 in 88 postseason games.

Real baseball is played when the evening air turns crisp and the leaves begin to change.

And when summer turns to fall few players have stepped up bigger than Hernandez, who had two hits, scored two runs and drove in another Wednesday, spurring a Dodger comeback that ended in an 8-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds and a sweep of their National League wildcard series.

That sends the team on to the best-of-five division series with the Phillies, which begins Saturday in Philadelphia.

“October Kiké is something pretty special,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “And the track record speaks for itself. He’s one of the best throughout the history of the postseason.”

It’s a reputation he’s earned.

Acareer .236 hitter in the regular season, Hernandez has hit .286 in 88 postseason games. He slashed .203/.255/.366 in an injury-marred regular season this year, but two games into the playoffs he’s hitting .500, leads the Dodgers with three runs scored and ranks second to Mookie Betts with four hits. He also made a splendid over-the-shoulder catch while racing to the warning track in the first inning Wednesday.