Former Dodgers Outfielder Matt Kemp: Kiké Hernández ‘Made Baseball Fun For Me’
Matt Kemp’s career spanned 15 seasons in the Major League, 10 of those were spent in Los Angeles.
Teammates come and go as rosters change yearly, but some of those teammates can change the course of someone’s career.
For Kemp, the 2018 Dodgers taught him a lot. He had such a good season that he was made the All-Star team.
“I believe that was probably one of the most important or best seasons for me in my career,” Kemp told AM-570. “I never wanted to leave L.A. but at the end of the day, baseball is a business. It is what it is but coming back is crazy.”
Per Matt Kemp via AM 570 Radio
Kemp spoke about the phone call he had with general manager Andrew Friedman when he was traded back to Los Angeles. He told Kemp he wasn’t sure what the future held regarding another trade or that he could remain with the Dodgers.
The outfielder asked for a chance in Spring Training and was rewarded with a National League pennant-winning season. He was also introduced to one of his most inspirational teammates, Kiké Hernández.
Kemp said that Hernández helped make the game of baseball “fun” for him again.
“He made baseball so fun for me. I’ve never had so much fun playing on a baseball field with that crazy guy. Baseball’s a kid’s game, man, and if you’re not having fun I don’t know what it is. He definitely made the game fun for everybody. The even better thing is, dude’s a Gold Glover at multiple positions and can play the hell out of some baseball.”
Per Matt Kemp via AM 570 Radio
Kemp won two Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves in his career. He batted .284 with 1,808 hits, 950 runs, 287 home runs, and 1,031 runs batted in.
His career ended with the Colorado Rockies after the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and he has nothing but love for the Dodgers. Fans should expect to see him in Chavez Ravine a few times this season.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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