Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gives 3B Kiké Hernández a pass for a fielding error during a TV interview

“I understand that it is part of the sport now. And so Kiké unfortunately made a mistake. It’s not the only mistake he’s ever made,” Roberts said Saturday. “It’s part of the sport, so I’m not going to do that – I’m choosing my battles.”

Hernández had a microphone and earpiece in his left ear as he spoke with Wayne Randazzo and former great pitcher Dontrelle Willis during the broadcast. After talking about Hernández’s decision to wear colorful shoes and the atmosphere in the ballpark, there was one out, no one on and a 1-2 count against Gleyber Torres when Willis asked, “You guys are (a) very close ball club. Where does that come from?”

Torres grounded out to third, then Willis said, “After this play.”

The ball hit Hernández on his bare right hand and ricocheted off his groin. By the time he recovered and threw to first, Torres had crossed the bag.

Roberts was initially unaware that Hernández was being interviewed while he was in the field. When asked if he went back to watch the exchange afterwards, Roberts said: “No. God no. Hearing about it was enough.”

And he has no plans to talk to Hernández about it.

“He’s preparing. I know he likes the spotlight. He likes social media,” Roberts said. “He still plays hard, practices hard, but he also likes to build his brand, so I understand. I’m okay with it. He plays his ass off.”

When asked after the match if the interview had an impact on the game, Hernández replied: “Maybe a little, but I think I let the ball eat me. There was a strange jump in it.”

Hernández said he would not reconsider doing in-game interviews in the future.

“No, because we get paid,” he said. “I like money.”

Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement requires a player to receive a $10,000 stipend for wearing a two-way microphone for at least one inning of a regular-season game. The amount increases to $15,000 in the postseason.

Roberts said even that wouldn’t affect him if he was playing.

“To each his own,” he said with a smile.

Torres advanced to third base on Trent Grisham’s two-out single, but stranded when Jose Trevino struckout. Los Angeles won 2-1 in 11 innings.

Hernández was back at third base on Saturday night, batting eighth against left-handed Nestor Cortes of the New York Yankees.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB