Teoscar Hernández took a 92.4-mph cutter from Victor Mederos the other way, and just like that, he was part of history. The two-run home run in the fourth inning of NLDS Game 1 on October 3rd was the 11th of his postseason career — enough to place him in the all-time top five among Dominican-born players. The Dodgers won 5-3 and took a 1-0 series lead over Atlanta.
The Company He’s Keeping
Journalist Francys Romero published the full ranking moments after the blast. The names ahead of Teoscar read like a Hall of Fame nickname list: Manny, Pujols, Big Papi.
- Manny Ramírez — 29
- Albert Pujols — 19
- Nelson Cruz — 18
- David Ortiz — 17
- Juan Soto — 11
- Teoscar Hernández — 11
Manny Ramírez leads the list with 29 postseason home runs — and that’s not just the Dominican record. It’s the all-time MLB record for any player in playoff history, across 111 games and 410 at-bats. Behind him sit Albert Pujols (19), Nelson Cruz (18), and David Ortiz (17, with a .947 OPS across 85 postseason games).
Hernández now shares fifth place with Juan Soto, both at 11. Worth noting: Soto is still active and can move that number at any point this October. The fifth spot is a tie — one that could shift either way before the month is over.
The Efficiency That Makes 11 Mean More
What makes the number stand out isn’t just the total — it’s the pace. Hernández has hit a home run every 13.4 postseason at-bats, one of the most efficient rates among active players. Only Giancarlo Stanton (9.8), Kyle Schwarber (10.6), Shohei Ohtani (11.7), and Bryce Harper (12.3) are ahead of him in that metric.
He’s gone deep in seven of the eight postseason series he’s played with the Dodgers. Last year’s championship run alone produced five home runs and 13 RBI.
The 2026 regular season wasn’t his finest (.268/.336/.427, 16 HR), but Hernández showed up to October ready: he slashed .341/.420/.545 in September — the kind of guy who knows when to turn it on. The bat flip that followed Friday’s homer is already making the rounds as one of the most celebrated of this postseason.
The Dodgers got six solid innings from Tarik Skubal and a two-run homer from Kyle Tucker in the sixth to close it out 5-3, leaving Dodger Stadium with Game 1 in hand.
What’s Next: The List and the Series
The next name on the Dominican leaderboard is David Ortiz at 17 — a realistic but long-term target that would require several more October runs. For now, 11 is already a milestone.
The Dodgers lead the series 1-0 with Teoscar locked in. Atlanta will need to respond — or watch the Dominican October rankings keep climbing.
