The Dodgers re-signed Kiké Hernández in the final hour of the offseason because of the player he turns into in October. He has a lifetime .236 average and .708 OPS in the regular season vs. .283/.880 in 87 postseason games. He just plays better when stakes are highest, and the Dodgers leaving Michael Conforto off the Wild Card roster gave them the perfect opportunity to give Hernández daily starts.
And he was indeed in Game 1's lineup in Conforto's usual place as the starting left fielder. He went 2-for-3 in his first at-bats (both singles) before he was pulled in the bottom of the seventh and replaced by Alex Call.