Willie Hernández facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Willie Hernández |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Hernández in 1976 with Oklahoma City
|
|||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: November 14, 1954 Aguada, Puerto Rico |
|||
| Died: November 20, 2023 (aged 69) Sebring, Florida, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| April 9, 1977, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 18, 1989, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 70–63 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.38 | ||
| Strikeouts | 788 | ||
| Saves | 147 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Guillermo Hernández Villanueva (born November 14, 1954 – died November 20, 2023), known as Willie Hernández, was a famous baseball player from Puerto Rico. He was a relief pitcher, which means he came into games to pitch after the starting pitcher.
Willie Hernández had an amazing year in 1984. He won two big awards: the American League Cy Young Award (for best pitcher) and the American League Most Valuable Player Award (for the best player overall). That same year, he helped his team, the Detroit Tigers, win the 1984 World Series championship!
Hernández was born and grew up in Aguada, Puerto Rico. He started his professional baseball journey in 1973 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in their minor league teams for a few years. In 1976, the Chicago Cubs picked him up. He played for the Cubs as a relief pitcher from 1977 to 1983. He became much better after learning new pitches like the screwball and cut fastball.
In May 1983, he was traded back to the Phillies. He helped them reach the National League championship. He even pitched in three games of the 1983 World Series without giving up any hits or runs!
In March 1984, he joined the Detroit Tigers. As the Tigers' closer (the pitcher who finishes the game), he had 32 saves and a very low earned run average (ERA) of 1.92. He was a key player in the Tigers winning the 1984 World Series. He became only the third player ever to win the Cy Young Award, MVP Award, and a World Series title all in the same season.
Hernández continued playing for the Tigers until 1989. Over 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, he played in 744 games. He had a record of 70 wins and 63 losses, with 147 saves. After he stopped playing, he went back to Puerto Rico. He ran a construction business and later owned a cattle ranch.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Willie Hernández was born in 1954 in Aguada, Puerto Rico. He was one of eight children in his family. His father worked in a sugar cane factory, and his mother was a housekeeper. Willie said they were "a poor, but happy family."
He first played baseball as a third baseman and outfielder. When he was a teenager, his team needed a pitcher, so his manager asked him to try. Willie pitched a game where the other team scored no runs! After that, he became a pitcher. He said he developed a very fast fastball and a good breaking ball. He even played for the Puerto Rico national team and helped them beat the United States team for the first time.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Willie Hernández started his professional career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973. For three years, he played in the Phillies' minor league teams. He was mostly a starting pitcher during this time.
In 1974, he played for the Single-A Spartanburg Phillies. He won 11 games and had a good earned run average (ERA) of 2.75. He also struck out 179 batters in 190 innings pitched.
In 1975, he moved up to the Double-A Reading Phillies. He had a great record of 8 wins and 2 losses. Later that year, he was promoted again to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. He continued to pitch well there.
By 1976, Hernández was still a starting pitcher for the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers. He played in 25 games and had 8 wins.
Time with the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs chose Hernández in the 1976 Rule 5 draft. The Cubs decided to make him a relief pitcher. He played his first Major League game on April 9, 1977. In his first season, he played in 67 games as a reliever. He had 8 wins and 7 losses with a 3.03 ERA.
In 1978, he played in 54 games, all as a relief pitcher. His ERA went up in 1979, and he didn't get any saves. He was often overshadowed by the Cubs' main closer, Bruce Sutter.
In 1980, Hernández started seven games, but was still mostly a reliever. He had a tough year with only 1 win and 9 losses. In 1981, he pitched very little. Fans sometimes booed him during these years. Willie said he struggled because he wasn't playing enough.
Things changed for Hernández in 1982. He became the Cubs' best relief pitcher. He didn't give up any runs for a whole month! He played in 75 games, all as a reliever. His ERA dropped to 3.00, and he got 10 saves. People noticed his new confidence and aggressive style. He said advice from Juan Pizarro helped him to think less between pitches.
He started the 1983 season with the Cubs, pitching in 11 games.
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
On May 22, 1983, the Cubs traded Hernández to the Philadelphia Phillies. Willie was very excited to join a team that was doing well. He said he was ready to help the Phillies in any way he could.
For the Phillies, Hernández played in 63 games. He had 8 wins and 4 losses with a 3.29 ERA and seven saves. In one game, he tied a league record by striking out six batters in a row. He often pitched before the Phillies' main closer, Al Holland.
Willie also showed he could hit the ball in 1983. He had a .400 batting average! He joked that he wasn't a "good hitter" but that he "made contact."
The Phillies won their league championship that year. They played in the 1983 World Series but lost to the Baltimore Orioles. Hernández pitched in three World Series games. He didn't give up any hits or runs. In one scary moment, his pitch hit a batter in the helmet. Willie quickly gave a thumbs-up to show he didn't mean to do it.
Success with the Detroit Tigers
Winning the Cy Young and MVP in 1984
On March 24, 1984, the Phillies traded Hernández to the Detroit Tigers. Willie was eager to help his new team. He said he wanted to "play ball in October," meaning he wanted to play in the playoffs and World Series.
In 1984, Hernández was amazing. He played in 80 games, which was the most for any pitcher in the American League. He also set a new team record for the Tigers with 68 games finished. He got 32 saves, which was the third-highest in the league. He had 9 wins and only 3 losses, with a fantastic 1.92 ERA. He also struck out 112 batters.
Willie was so good that he successfully protected the Tigers' lead in 39 games in a row! He had 32 saves in 32 chances until late September. Many people said he was the missing piece the Tigers needed to win. Sports Illustrated magazine said he changed the Tigers from a team that lost close games to one that won them.
The Tigers had an incredible season, winning 104 games. They won their league championship and then beat the San Diego Padres to win the 1984 World Series. Hernández pitched five innings in the World Series, getting two saves and only giving up one run.
After the season, Willie Hernández received many awards:
- He was named "Tiger of the Year" by baseball writers.
- On October 30, he won the 1984 American League Cy Young Award for best pitcher. He said it was an "incredible award" for him and for all of Puerto Rico.
- On November 6, he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award for best player.
Hernández was only the fourth player in the American League to win both the Cy Young and MVP awards in the same season. Even more special, only Sandy Koufax and Denny McLain had also won a World Series in the same year they won both awards.
New Pitches: Screwball and Cutter
Many people believed that the screwball pitch helped Hernández become so successful. He learned the screwball from Mike Cuellar before the 1983 season. Another important pitch was his cut fastball (or "cutter"). This pitch looked like a fastball but would curve in towards the batter's hands, making it hard to hit well. The combination of his cutter and screwball made him very difficult for batters to face.
Later Seasons with the Tigers (1985-1989)
In January 1985, Hernández signed a big contract with the Tigers, making him the highest-paid player in team history at the time. In 1985, he continued to play well, getting 31 saves and being chosen for the All-Star team again.
He was also an All-Star in 1986. However, his performance started to decline in the following years. His ERA went up, and he had fewer saves. Fans and sports writers became critical of him.
In 1988, Hernández asked to be called "Guillermo" instead of "Willie" when he was announced at the stadium. He said it was his real name. He had a better season in 1988, but in 1989, elbow pain limited his playing time. He played his last Major League game on August 18, 1989, at age 34.
Career Statistics
Willie Hernández played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball. He pitched in 744 games, mostly as a relief pitcher. He finished his career with 70 wins, 63 losses, a 3.38 ERA, 788 strikeouts, and 147 saves. He was also a good fielder, making only four errors in his career.
He also pitched well in the playoffs, with a very low ERA of 1.32 in 10 postseason games.
Life After Baseball
After his baseball career, Willie Hernández owned a steel construction business in Puerto Rico. Later, he sold that business and started a cattle ranch.
Willie Hernández married Carmen Rivera in 1978, and they had two sons, Guillermo and Xavier.
In his later years, Hernández faced some health challenges, including asthma, diabetes, and multiple strokes. He also had heart surgery in 2009.
On April 4, 2019, Willie Hernández returned to Detroit to throw the first pitch at the Tigers' home opener, which was a special moment for fans.
Willie Hernández passed away at his home in Sebring, Florida, on November 20, 2023, at the age of 69. His body was sent back to Aguada, Puerto Rico, for his funeral.
See also
In Spanish: Willie Hernández para niños
- List of players from Puerto Rico in Major League Baseball
