NEW YORK — During his playing days, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he would not have volunteered to be interviewed on live television in the middle of a major league game.
But he doesn’t blame Los Angeles third baseman Kiké Hernández for making a mistake on Friday night while talking to broadcasters on the Apple TV+ broadcast of the second inning at Yankee Stadium.
“I understand that it is now part of the sport. And then, unfortunately, Kiké made a mistake. It’s not the only mistake he’s made,” Roberts said Saturday. “It’s part of the sport, so I don’t go – I pick my battles.”
Hernández had a microphone and earpiece in his left ear as he spoke to Wayne Randazzo and former pitcher Dontrelle Willis on the broadcast. After talking about Hernández’s decision to wear colored cleats and the atmosphere in the stadium, there was an out, no one in and a 1-2 count for Gleyber Torres when Willis asked: “You are (a) very united club. Where did that come from?”
Torres hit a grounder to third, prompting Willis to say, “After this play.”
The ball hit Hernández with his bare right hand and ricocheted into his groin. By the time he recovered and threw the first time, Torres had already crossed the bag.
Roberts was initially unaware that Hernández was being interviewed while on the field. Asked if he went back and watched the exchange afterwards, Roberts said: “No. Not God. Hearing about it was enough.
And he has no plans to talk to Hernández about it.
“He prepares. I know he likes the spotlight. He likes social media,” Roberts said. “He still plays a lot, practices a lot, but he also likes building his brand, so I understand.
Asked after the game if the interview impacted him on the game, Hernández replied: “Maybe a little, but I think I let the ball consume me. There was a strange jump.”
Hernández said he would not reconsider whether to do in-game interviews in the future.
“No, because we are getting paid,” he said. “I like money.”
Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement requires a player to receive compensation of $10,000 for using a two-way microphone in at least one inning of a regular season game. The value increases to US$15,000 in the postseason.
Roberts said even that wouldn’t influence him if he was playing.
“To each their own,” he said with a smile.
Torres reached third on Trent Grisham’s single but was stranded when Jose Trevino struck out. Los Angeles won 2-1 in 11 innings.
Hernández was back at third base Saturday night, batting eighth against New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes.
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
