Willie Hernandez, baseball player, 1977-1989

Willie Hernandez

Born: 11/14/1954 in Aguada, P.R.

Died: 11/20/2023 in Sebring, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1977-04-09 | Final Game: 1989-08-18

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Guillermo Hernandez

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Biography

Willie Hernandez was a prominent Major League Baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1977 to 1989. Born in 1954, he established himself as a key figure in the game, known for his versatility and effectiveness on the mound. Over the course of his career, Hernandez compiled a record of 70-63 with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.38, striking out 788 batters and securing 147 saves. His ability to perform in high-pressure situations distinguished him as a reliable closer during his time in the league. Hernandez achieved significant recognition for his contributions to the game, notably winning the Cy Young Award and earning three All-Star selections. His career peaked during the mid-1980s, an era that saw a shift in pitching styles and strategies, where relief pitchers began to play a pivotal role in games. Hernandez's impact on the mound was felt during the height of his career, as he became a crucial asset for the teams he played for, particularly the Detroit Tigers, with whom he captured the World Series title in 1984. His legacy continues to resonate in baseball history as a testament to the importance of skilled relief pitching.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
70 63 744 11 0 0 147 1044.7 952 392 97 349 788 3.38 0

Career ERA 3.38 vs. league average 3.87 across their career seasons — 12.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1977 CHC NL 8 7 67 1 0 0 4 110.0 94 37 28 78 3.03 4.00 (+24%) -
1978 CHC NL 8 2 54 0 0 0 3 59.7 57 25 35 38 3.77 3.69 (-2%) -
1979 CHC NL 4 4 51 2 0 0 0 79.0 85 44 39 53 5.01 4.00 (-25%) -
1980 CHC NL 1 9 53 7 0 0 0 108.3 115 53 45 75 4.40 3.84 (-15%) -
1981 CHC NL 0 0 12 0 0 0 2 13.7 14 6 8 13 3.95 3.58 (-10%) -
1982 CHC NL 4 6 75 0 0 0 10 75.0 74 25 24 54 3.00 3.86 (+22%) -
1983 CHC NL 1 0 11 1 0 0 1 19.7 16 7 6 18 3.20 3.87 (+17%) -
1983 PHI NL 8 4 63 0 0 0 7 95.7 93 35 26 75 3.29 3.87 (+15%) 1501.2
1984 DET AL 9 3 80 0 0 0 32 140.3 96 30 36 112 1.92 3.81 (+50%) 4432.9
1985 DET AL 8 10 74 0 0 0 31 106.7 82 32 14 76 2.70 3.89 (+31%) 1711.2
1986 DET AL 8 7 64 0 0 0 24 88.7 87 35 21 77 3.55 3.97 (+11%) 344.4
1987 DET AL 3 4 45 0 0 0 8 49.0 53 20 20 30 3.67 4.29 (+14%) -866.1
1988 DET AL 6 5 63 0 0 0 10 67.7 50 23 31 59 3.06 3.73 (+18%) -652.1
1989 DET AL 2 2 32 0 0 0 15 31.3 36 20 16 30 5.74 3.71 (-55%) -335.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
747 63 4 13 2 0 0 3 2 1 29 0.206 0.219 0.238 0.457 0.0

Career AVG .206 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.

Career OBP .219 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 32.6% below league average.

Career SLG .238 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 38.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.457 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — 36.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1977 CHC NL 67 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.062 — — — — 0.0
1978 CHC NL 55 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1979 CHC NL 52 8 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1980 CHC NL 53 19 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 7 0.211 — — — — 0.0
1981 CHC NL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CHC NL 75 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1983 CHC NL 11 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1983 PHI NL 63 13 2 5 0 0 0 1 1 0 5 0.385 — — — — 0.0
1984 DET AL 80 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 DET AL 74 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1986 DET AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 DET AL 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 DET AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 DET AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1987 ALCS DET 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 ALCS DET 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 WS DET 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1983 WS PHI 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 10 0 3 13.7 9 2 2 7 1.32

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1987 ALCS DET 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 2 0 0 0 0.00
1984 ALCS DET 0 0 3 0 1 4.0 3 1 1 3 2.25
1984 WS DET 0 0 3 0 2 5.3 4 1 0 0 1.69
1983 WS PHI 0 0 3 0 0 4.0 0 0 1 4 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 744 11 58 169 4 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1977 CHN P 67 1 8 27 0 2
1978 CHN P 54 0 2 12 0 0
1979 CHN P 51 2 4 11 1 0
1980 CHN P 53 7 12 20 0 2
1981 CHN P 12 0 0 3 0 0
1982 CHN P 75 0 5 22 1 1
1983 CHN P 11 1 1 4 0 1
1983 PHI P 63 0 1 13 0 2
1984 DET P 80 0 5 14 0 1
1985 DET P 74 0 7 7 1 0
1986 DET P 64 0 6 13 0 0
1987 DET P 45 0 2 4 1 1
1988 DET P 63 0 3 15 0 1
1989 DET P 32 0 2 4 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 745

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1984 Cy Young Award
1984 Most Valuable Player
1984 Pitcher of the Month July
1984 TSN All-Star LHP
1984 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1989 DET AL $1,310,000
1988 DET AL $1,210,000
1987 DET AL $1,060,000
1986 DET AL $960,000
1985 DET AL $660,000
Total Career Earnings $5,200,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Cy Young Award AL 1st 88.0 140 12
1984 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 306.0 392 16