Edwin Diaz earned his first save since August on Tuesday night, closing out a Dodgers win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS, a moment made sweeter by the public support of his longtime friend and teammate Kiké Hernández.
The Dodgers’ lone offensive outburst came in the third inning, when Hernández and Freddie Freeman each homered to give Los Angeles the lead it would hold onto for the rest of the game. That set up Diaz for the ninth, where he gave up a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies before retiring the next three batters to seal the win.
Speaking about his friendship with Diaz and the significance of the save, Hernández reflected on their shared background and the difficulty of the season Diaz has had.
“I haven’t had the chance to play with too many Puerto Rican guys… there’s so few of us in the league. I’ve known Sugar since before he got drafted,” Hernández said.
“This year, it was a very difficult year. It’s very easy to put the year aside, and he worked his a— off to get to this point.”
Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers in the offseason to anchor the bullpen, but the partnership struggled out of the gate. He battled injuries throughout the year and finished the regular season with an 8.68 ERA, converting just seven of eleven save opportunities.
After his most recent injury stint between August and September, Diaz made a mechanical adjustment to his pitching that has paid off since. In five appearances following the change, he’s allowed just one hit, no runs, and struck out nine batters.
“For him, it was one slight mechanical adjustment that he needed to do, that he didn’t realize,” Hernández said.
Tuesday’s save marked a turning point for Diaz as the Dodgers push forward in the NLDS.
