Kik Hernandez Blasts Two Home Runs as Dodgers Beat Bumgarner on Jackie Robinson Day

Ken Burns Talks Race and Jackie Robinson

Enrique Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after hitting a homerun in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on April 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES It may have been Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium on Friday, but it was Kik Hernandez who stole the show.

Hernandez hit two home runs and knocked in four runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the rival San Francisco Giants 7-4 to takeover sole possession of first place in the National League West division.

One day after hitting the game-winning double in the Dodgers 5-2 victory over the Diamondbacks, the Puerto-Rican utility player flexed his power muscles, hitting not one, but two, towering blasts into the pavilion seats off World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.

"I"m just not trying to do too much," he said. "I"ve gotten good pitches to hit and have happened to put good swings on them."

Kik Hernandez hit two homers and knocked in four runs as the Dodgers defeated the rival Giants 7-3. (Published Friday, April 15, 2016)

Hernandez hit the first pitch he saw off the left-hander into the seats in centerfield and followed that up with another homer, this time even further into left-center in the bottom of the third inning. It was Hernandez"s first leadoff home run and multi-homer game of his career.

"First pitch of the game I figured he"d throw a fastball," Hernandez continued. "My dad and my sisters are in town, and are about to leave, so I"m glad I could do this with them watching."

For an encore, Hernandez hit a two-run double off Bumgarner in an inning later, finishing 3-for-5 with four RBIs on the night.

Charlie Culberson made a spot-start at shortstop, giving left-handed batter, Corey Seager, a day off against Bumgarner. Culberson continued his recent string of success against San Francisco with a three RBIs on Friday.

Culberson has started two games for the Dodgers -- both against Bumgarner -- and recorded multiple hits in each game.

Hernandez and Culberson provided the only offense Los Angeles would need against their rivals on Jackie Robinson Day a historic day in which everyone in baseball wears the No. 42 and Clayton Kershaw did the rest in his second matchup with Bumgarner this season.

Clayton Kershaw talks about his performance as the Dodgers defeat the rival Giants, 7-3, on Jackie Robinson Day. (Published Friday, April 15, 2016)

"It feels good," said Kershaw of beating the Giants. "They made some defensive mistakes that we were able to capitalize on, thankfully, I had a little bit of a lead to work with, but overall it feels good to get the first game of the series."

Kershaw improved to 2-0 on the season, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in seven innings. Both earned runs came on uncharacteristic wild pitches, the first time the left-hander has done that since June 15, 2012.

"I made two bad pitches," Kershaw said of the runs he allowed. "Some of my pitches were okay, but overall I still have a lot to get better at."

Bumgarner had his worst outing against the Dodgers in his career, allowing a career-high seven runs to Los Angeles in his first loss of the season.

The game marked the ninth meeting of the mounds between three-time World Series Champion Bumgarner and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Kershaw. According to Elias Sports, it ties with Doug Rau and Jim Barr as the longest pitching duel in the Dodgers-Giants rivalry.

Kershaw improves to 3-4 with a 2.18 ERA in the head-to-head rivalry, whereas Bumgarner drops to 4-3 with a 2.87 ERA in their nine matchups.

Players of the Game:

Kik Hernandez: 3-for-5, two homers, a double, and four RBI. Charlie Culberson: 2-for-4, three RBI and a run scored.

Three Takeaways:

1. Kerhsaw vs. Bumgarner Part Deux: It was the second meeting of the 2016 season between Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner, and the second series between the rivals. Both pitchers received a no-decision in the first meeting (a 3-2 Dodgers victory), and it"s their ninth meeting overall.

2. Hernandez Heating Up: Kik Hernandez did all the damage for the Dodgers for the second consecutive game, going 3-for-5 with two homers, a double and four RBIs on Friday. In his last two games, Hernandez is 5-for-8 with two homers, two doubles and six RBIs. Entering the game, Hernandez was batting .379 against left-handed pitchers, tops in baseball.

3. Thank You, Jackie: It was another historic and successful April 15th at Dodger Stadium on Friday, otherwise known as "Jackie Robinson Day." Everyone on the field and around the league wore the number 42 on their backs in honor of the first black player to integrate the game of baseball in 1947. The Dodgers honored Robinson with a pregame celebration that included his wife, Rachel, his daughter, Sharon, teammate, Don Newcombe, Dodgers owner, Magic Johnson, and baseball"s first black manager, Frank Robinson.

Up Next:

Giants (6-5): Johnny Cueto takes the mound on Saturday to face the rival Dodgers for the second time in a week.

Dodgers: (7-4): Scott Kazmir goes opposite Cueto for the second time, after a high-scoring game in San Francisco last Sunday. First pitch is 6:10 PM PST.

Please refresh this page for more updates, stats and player reactions

Published at 10:00 PM PDT on Apr 15, 2016

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Kike-Hernandez-Blasts-Two-Home-Runs-as-Dodgers-Beat-Bumgarner-on-Jackie-Robinson-Day-375929371.html

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Recalling the day Jackie Robinson ushered in a new era

BALTIMORE His name is Daniel Mason and he is 79 years old, and he celebrated Jackie Robinson Day at his usual post, by the right-field escalator at Camden Yards. Out on the field every Yankee and Oriole was wearing No. 42. Daniel Mason didnt have a jersey, just his black Orioles jacket, and an appreciation of April 15, 1947.

Its an important day for all of us, Mason said. It should be. Somebody had to break the color barrier. It opened the doors for all black people. He paused and smiled.

Look around, he said, waving his arm toward the concourse. Not one of us would be here without Jackie Robinson. It didnt matter how good you were. You couldnt play. You couldnt do (a lot of things).

RELATED: DODGERS TRIP BRAVES IN JACKIE ROBINSON'S FIRST GAME

Daniel Mason was an 11-year-old kid in North Baltimore, barely a home-run ball away not far from where he still lives, the day Robinson integrated Major League Baseball. He doesnt have specific memories of the day, and doesnt remember it immediately changing his life, because his entire world neighborhood and schools was 100% black, so racially drawn he had scant idea of what else was out there.

It wasnt even segregation. Everybody was the same color, Mason said.

Daniel Masons ancestors came from South Carolina, a state that had more slaves per capita than any state in the Union. He knows little of his family history, how many generations before him included slaves and sharecroppers. All he has known is life in this city, where he and his wife of 52 years live and raised their children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren, and where he has always refused to see things through the prism of race. That has never been around me much, Mason said, his voice a raspy mumble, with a thick Southern inflection. People dont treat me in that light. I never looked at things like that. Ive been (at Camden Yards) for 19 years and never had a problem with anybody.

Life has not been easy. Mason dropped out of school in 10th grade. He worked for years as an orderly in a hospital, then as a baggage handler at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Now he directs ballpark visitors to the upper deck, with a ready smile and stock jokes. A man and a woman hold out their tickets and he directs them to the escalator, and says to the woman, Youre with him.

When a Yankee fan who is a Camden Yards regular approaches, Mason waves hello and sends him on his way. Carry on, Mason told him.

He greets every fan warmly, and provides any direction he can give them. It helps to be out, and be busy, taking his mind off things, such as his diabetes. Mason was recently diagnosed with a kidney disorder and is going to be starting dialysis, maybe as soon as this week. He makes it sound as if it is no bigger a deal than a parking ticket.

Take the old blood out, put the new blood in. Ill have to do that for the rest of my life, he said. Its just something I have to do, until I get a kidney transplant. Im on the list, but I dont know when that will be.

On the 68th anniversary of Jackie Robinson playing his first game of baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers, batting second and playing first base before 26,623 fans at Ebbets Field, Daniel Mason didnt need a No. 42 jersey to get in the spirit of the moment. Two women approached the elevator with a man, and he said, Upstairs to your right. Youre with him, and they all laughed.

Under the lights of Camden Yards, in front of the brick warehouse on a pleasant spring night, a fully integrated game of baseball was going on, with players of various backgrounds, and countries. It was a good night to be at work, and to remember how history happened. (Jackie Robinson) caught h**l, but he just kept going, Daniel Mason said. Thats how he got to where he was. He just kept going.

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Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/coffey-recalling-day-jackie-robinson-ushered-new-era-article-1.2187232

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