The Los Angeles Dodgers won an electric game five on Friday night to stun the San Diego Padres and advance to the NLCS. It was a remarkable and unexpected victory in the series. Nearly 80 percent of “experts” at The Athletic picked the Padres to beat the Dodgers, with similar results from voters at ESPN.

And it wasn’t an unreasonable choice, considering the Padres’ penchant for comeback wins, their dominant bullpen, quality starting pitching and the raucous Petco Park crowd. After San Diego won game three and took a 2-1 lead, it seemed inevitable. But the Dodgers stormed back, outscoring the Padres 14-0 in the final 24 innings.

READ: Dodgers break more postseason stories, shut down San Diego Padres and win NLDS

The Dodgers, apparently viewed as underdogs against their division rivals, clearly enjoyed the series victory and the deciding game five. And perhaps no one has exemplified that celebratory attitude more than Dodgers company man Kiké Hernandez. Hernandez hit a huge home run to start the scoring in the second inning, and Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal grabbed him after the game to get his take on the win. He got more than he bargained for.

Rosenthal asked him what was different about this current Dodgers team compared to those of the past. Kiké asked Rosenthal if they were live, then got brutally honest: “The fact that we don’t care.”

LOS ANGELES – Will Smith and Enrique Hernández of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after winning Game 5 of the Division Series presented by Booking.com between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 11, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Kiké Hernandez leads the Dodgers offense at the NLCS

There is a feeling within the Dodgers organization that the team will collapse under the weight of crushing expectations come October. That’s probably unfair and unrealistic given the randomness of the baseball playoffs.

But if that attitude has crept into the locker room, Hernandez demonstrated Friday night that it is not present on the 2024 roster. That said, the ultimate goal in Los Angeles is to win the World Series. The Dodgers spent big money this offseason to acquire star-level talent, adding to an already stocked roster.

The problem with these expectations is that October baseball is essentially “theatre,” as President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman explained in the clubhouse. There is no way to build an unbeatable roster, or to make a plan for every outcome.

But if there’s something to be said for having the right attitude and mentality, Kiké Hernandez has shown that this Dodgers team has it. Based on their comeback wins so far this postseason, that includes the New York Mets. Get ready for more theater in the NLCS.