Liván Hernández facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liván Hernández
Hernández with the Nationals in 2010
Pitcher
Born: (1975-02-20) February 20, 1975 (age 50) Villa Clara, Cuba
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 24, 1996, for the Florida Marlins
Last appearance
September 29, 2012, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	178–177
Earned run average	4.44
Strikeouts	1,976
Teams
Florida Marlins (1996–1999) San Francisco Giants (1999–2002) Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals (2003–2006) Arizona Diamondbacks (2006–2007) Minnesota Twins (2008) Colorado Rockies (2008) New York Mets (2009) Washington Nationals (2009–2011) Atlanta Braves (2012) Milwaukee Brewers (2012)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (2004, 2005) World Series champion (1997) World Series MVP (1997) NLCS MVP (1997) Silver Slugger Award (2004)
Medals Men's baseball Representing  Cuba Baseball World Cup Gold 1994 Managua Team

Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera (born February 20, 1975) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He was born in Cuba. Liván played in Major League Baseball for 17 years. During his career, he played for nine different teams. He was chosen for two All-Star Games. He was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1997 World Series. This was when he played for the Florida Marlins. His half-brother, Orlando "El Duque" Hernández, was also a pitcher.

Hernández played for many teams. These included the Florida Marlins (1996–1999) and San Francisco Giants (1999–2002). He also played for the Montreal Expos (2003–2004) and Washington Nationals (2005–2006, 2009–2011). Other teams were the Arizona Diamondbacks (2006–2007) and Minnesota Twins (2008). He also played for the Colorado Rockies (2008), New York Mets (2009), Atlanta Braves (2012), and Milwaukee Brewers (2012). He threw and batted right-handed. He was known for a slow curveball pitch. This pitch was sometimes slower than 60 miles per hour. He used it to get strikeouts.

Liván Hernández was a two-time All-Star. He was known as a great defensive pitcher. He made only fifteen errors in his entire career. People called him a "workhorse" because he could pitch for many innings in a game. From 1998 to 2007, he always pitched at least 199 innings each season. He led the National League in innings pitched for three years in a row (2003-2005). He also led the league in complete games in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, he threw 150 pitches in nine innings during one game. In 2004 and 2005, he threw the most pitches in all of Major League Baseball.

Early Life and Journey to Baseball

Liván Hernández was born into a family in the Villa Clara Province in Cuba. In 1994, he met a baseball recruiter named Joe Cubas in Venezuela. They planned for Liván to leave Cuba through Mexico. In 1995, at age 20, Hernández left Cuba to play baseball in the United States. His half-brother, Orlando, also left Cuba two years later.

Professional Baseball Career

After meeting with many team officials, Hernández signed a contract. He joined the Florida Marlins on January 13, 1996. This contract was for four years and $4.5 million. He wanted to live in Miami.

Starting with the Florida Marlins (1996–1999)

Liván Hernández played his first Major League game on September 24, 1996. He pitched three innings for the Marlins against the Atlanta Braves. He joined the team full-time in June 1997. In his first season, he had a record of 9 wins and 3 losses. His ERA (Earned Run Average) was 3.17. He had 72 strikeouts in 17 games.

The Marlins made it to the 1997 World Series. Hernández started and won Games 1 and 5 against the Cleveland Indians. In the 1997 National League Championship Series, he set a postseason record. He struck out 15 batters in Game 5 against the Atlanta Braves. Because of his great playing, he won the World Series MVP award.

Before Game 7 of the World Series, Hernández met his mother for the first time in two years. This meeting happened because of efforts from the Cuban and United States governments. The entire Marlins team also wrote a letter asking for it. His mother and sister now live in Miami.

Playing for the San Francisco Giants (1999–2002)

On July 25, 1999, the Marlins traded Hernández to the San Francisco Giants. In return, the Marlins received two minor league players. In 2000, he had his best year with 17 wins. He finished the year with a 17–11 record in 33 games. His ERA was 3.75 in 240 innings. He pitched many innings in the next two seasons. However, his record was 13–15 in 2001 and 12–16 in 2002.

Hernández played in five postseason games for the Giants. One was in 2000 and four were in 2002. In the 2002 postseason, he had a record of 1 win and 2 losses.

Time with the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals (2003–2006)

On March 23, 2003, Hernández was traded to the Montreal Expos. He moved with infielder Edwards Guzmán. The Giants received two relief pitchers.

From 2003 to 2005, Hernández led the National League in innings pitched. He also led the league in complete games in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, he had a 15–10 record and a low 3.20 ERA. He pitched 233 innings, including eight complete games. He had 178 strikeouts, which was the seventh-most in the NL. He was especially good in July, with a 4–1 record and a 1.80 ERA. He won the NL Pitcher of the Month award for July.

The next season, Hernández was chosen for the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This was his first All-Star selection. It was also the last All-Star selection for the Expos team. Even with an 11–15 record, he had a good 3.60 ERA in 35 games. He pitched 255 innings, which was the most in all of Major League Baseball. He also struck out 186 batters, which was his career high. He won the National League Silver Slugger Award for pitchers. This award is for good hitting. He hit .247 with one home run and 10 RBI.

After the 2004 season, the Montreal Expos team moved. They became the Washington Nationals. Hernández was still with the team. He started and won the first Major League game in Washington since 1971. This was on April 14, 2005. In 2005, Hernández again led the National League in innings pitched. He also earned his second All-Star selection. He and Chad Cordero were the first All-Stars for the new Nationals team.

After the 2005 season, Hernández had knee surgery. His performance was not as strong in the first half of 2006. By the All-Star break, his ERA was 5.64. However, in his last five games with the Nationals, his ERA improved to 3.27.

Moving to the Arizona Diamondbacks (2006–2007)

On August 7, 2006, Hernández was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Nationals received two young pitchers in return. He made 10 starts for Arizona. He had a record of 4 wins and 5 losses with a 3.76 ERA.

In 2007, Hernández had a record of 11–11 with a 4.93 ERA. He allowed the most home runs in the major leagues that year, with 34.

Short Stints with Other Teams (2008–2009)

On February 12, 2008, Hernández signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins. He had 10 wins and pitched 127 innings for the Twins. On August 1, 2008, he left the Twins. He had a record of 10 wins and 8 losses with a 5.48 ERA.

Hernández with the Rockies in 2008.

On August 6, the Colorado Rockies picked up Hernández. He had a record of 3 wins and 3 losses with an 8.03 ERA in eight games for the Rockies.

Hernández with the Mets during 2009 spring training.

On February 14, 2009, Hernández signed a contract with the New York Mets. He earned a spot in their starting pitching rotation. On May 26, 2009, Hernández pitched a complete game. He allowed only one run in a 6–1 win against the Washington Nationals. He was the first pitcher to throw a complete game at Citi Field. He also became the only active player to have thrown a complete game with six different teams. However, after struggling in July and August, the Mets released him on August 20.

Returning to the Washington Nationals (2009–2011)

On August 26, 2009, Hernández signed again with the Washington Nationals. He finished the season with a 2–4 record and a 5.36 ERA in eight games.

On February 24, 2010, Hernández signed another contract with the Nationals. He had a good season in 2010, with a 10–12 record and a 3.66 ERA. On August 29, 2010, he signed an extension to stay with the Nationals for the 2011 season.

Hernández was the starting pitcher on Opening Day in 2011. This was his fourth time starting on Opening Day for the team. On August 30, he threw his 50,000th pitch in his MLB career. Since 1988, only 11 pitchers have thrown more pitches.

Final Seasons (2012)

On January 31, 2012, Hernández signed with the Houston Astros. He was released by the Astros on March 30.

Hours later, Hernández signed with the Atlanta Braves as a relief pitcher. On May 5, 2012, he got his first career save. This was in his 485th Major League game. On June 19, 2012, the Braves released him.

On June 22, 2012, Hernández signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. After the season, he became a free agent.

Retirement and Life After Baseball

Liván Hernández officially retired from professional baseball on March 13, 2014. He now runs a youth baseball academy in Miami.

How Liván Hernández Pitched

When he was younger, Hernández threw a fastball around 90-95 mph. He also had a slider and a changeup. As he got older, he became a "finesse pitcher." This means he focused on placing his pitches accurately, rather than throwing them very fast. His main pitch was a sinker that was 83–87 mph. He also threw a four-seam fastball at a similar speed. Another important pitch was a cut fastball at 79–82 mph, used mostly against right-handed batters. For off-speed pitches, he used a curveball (65 to 70 mph) and a changeup (in the upper 70s). His four-seam fastball was the slowest among all MLB starters in 2011.

Hernández was a very good fielder throughout his career. He played seven full seasons without making any errors. He had a career fielding percentage of .982. He made only 15 errors in over 800 chances. He was also a better-than-average hitter for a pitcher. He had a .221 batting average with 10 home runs and 85 RBI.

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See also

In Spanish: Liván Hernández para niños