Mr. October: Kiké Hernández

The World Series may seem like a distant memory, but I decided it's not too late to crown my postseason MLBoyfriend. Freddie Freeman was the obvious choice, but I decided to go with someone who caught my eye both on and off the field: Kiké Hernández. Of course, this wasn't the first time Kiké caught my eye--he has won the MLBoyfriend title before--but this postseason reminded of just how much fun he brings to all aspects of the game.

Hernández has earned his reputation as being a solid postseason player over the past nine years.

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This year, Hernández continued to do well at the plate with 15 hits--including a triple and 2 home runs--11 runs, and 6 RBI. He had a respectable .294 batting average in October.

But, I'll be honest, it was what Kiké did to celebrate the Dodgers victories over this postseason that won him the MLBoyfriend title.

Here's just a few things that came up in my Instagram feed.

Kiké showing up for a game dressed in Barbicore:

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Kiké doing a post-game interview shirtless:

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Kiké celebrating the Dodgers World Series win draped in the Puerto Rican flag:

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Kiké celebrating the Dodgers World Series win shirtless in the locker room (click through for all the pic):

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And, finally, Kiké at the Dodgers' celebration parade with teammate Anthony Banda--both shirtless:

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I'm going to go out on a limb and say I wasn't the only gay who noticed how often Kiké Hernández was photographed/videoed wearing no shirt this past month. 

Congratulations, Kiké Hernández! You are my MLBoyfriend for October 2024!

October Boys

Congratulations to the 2024 MLBoyfriends who have made it to the postseason!

Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians

Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians

Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies

Ranger Suárez, Philadelphia Phillies

Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies

Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

Aaron Judge

To be honest, I didn't pay that much attention to baseball last week. I couldn't stand to watch the epic collapse of my Minnesota Twins. So, when it came time to pick a MLBoyfriend, I was at a bit of a loss. I looked back over my picks for the season, and realized there was one glaring omission.

Aaron Judge has been on fire this season. He has, of course, been featured on MLBoyfriend many times before. However, he hasn't been a 2024 pick. In fact, it's been two years since he was my MLBoyfriend. It's time to right that wrong.

Judge only had what was only an okay week for him last week--but what would be a great week for most other players. He had a .286 batting average and 1.373 OPS with 3 runs, 4 home runs and 6 RBI.

It's Judge's numbers for the season that are really impressive. Let's take a look and his final numbers and how they compare to the rest of the league:

• 180 Hits, 8th Place

• 144 Runs, 4th Place

• .322 Batting Average, 3rd Place

• 392 Total Bases, 2nd Place

• .458 On-Base Percentage, 1st Place

• .701 Slugging Percentage, 1st Place

• 144 Runs Batted In, 1st Place

• 58 Home Runs, 1st Place

• 10.8 Wins Above Replacement, 1st Place

That is an MVP season.

Oh, Aaron Judge also happens to be really cute. (It may seem strange to call a 6'7', 285 lbs adult man "cute"--but he is!)

Congratulations, Aaron Judge! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani clinched this week's MLBoyfriend award 4 days ago. On September 19, he became the first player in MLB history to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. To put that in a little perspective, only 6 players are in the "40-40 Club"--with 40 homers and steals in one season.

Ohtani didn't just set that record in that game, he smashed it.

Yes, Ohtani went 6 for 6 at the plate with 3 home runs, 5 extra base hits, 10 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Here's his Instagram post celebrating the night--be sure to scroll through to see all the adorableness.

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I know baseball commentators are very prone to hyperbole; however, that is literally the best game by a hitter in baseball history.

And that was just Thursday. Ohtani kept going over the weekend. He ended the week with a .500 batting average and 1.641 OPS. He had 12 runs, 6 home runs, 4 doubles, 19 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. That's bonkers.

By the way, there are still 6 games left this season. Ohtani currently has 53 home runs and 55 stolen bases. While he's unlikely to establish the 60-60 Club this year, it is certainly possible that he will.

Congratulations, Shohei Ohtani! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week. 

Joey Cantillo

Joey Cantillo pitched one great and one very good game last week. 

On Monday, September 9th, Castillo was perfect for 6.2 innings. He ended the game having pitched 7 full innings with 2 hits, 1 earned run, zero walks, and a career-high 10 strike outs.

Castillo had another impressive start on Saturday, September 14. He pitched 5.0 innings giving up only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 with no earned runs scored against. He ends the week with a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 2 wins. Not too shabby for a rookie.

It's hard to find pictures or pitchers on the field where their bodies and/or faces aren't contorted. So here's non-game pics that prove Joey Cantillo has other qualifications to win the MLBoyfriend title beyond his pitching.

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Congratulations, Joey Cantillo! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week.