Willie Hernandez
When Willie Hernandez was acquired by the Detroit Tigers in a four-player trade in the last week of spring training in 1984, there was little way of knowing just how crucial he would be to the team's success that season. As a veteran reliever who had never saved more than 10 games or pitched more than 115 innings in a season, Hernandez was seen as a decent setup man with experience. But he mastered his screwball in '84 and baffled American League batters on his way to the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. He converted 32 of 33 save opportunities and posted a stingy 1.92 ERA, as his carefully permed hair and cheek bulging with chew became familiar to Tigers' fans in his 80 games on the mound. Far from a one-year wonder, Willie followed with a similar season in 1985, and retired with more saves than any other Tigers pitcher.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 747 |
63 |
13 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
.206 |
.238 |
.219 |
.457 |
64.0 |
|
Quotes From Willie Hernandez
"I came into the world poor and naked, but I don't want to die with no clothes on." — Cubs reliever Willie Hernandez, explaining why he hoped to pitch as many games as he could in 1982 to reach an incentive clause in his contract.
Where does Willie Hernandez rank among baseball greats?
Willie Hernandez ranks #38 among the Top 50 all-time at RP. Rankings ⇒
Willie Hernandez Teammates
Best Season: 1984
It's an exaggeration to say the '84 Tigers wouldn't have won without Willie, but not much. The team won the division by 15 games and sprinted out to a big lead, largely due o starting pitching and offense. Willie became "Willie" in May and June. But he had a phenomenal year, converting 32 of 33 save chances with a 1.92 ERA. He won the Cy Young and the MVP Award.
Born
Guillermo (Villanueva) Hernandez was born on November 14, 1954, in Aguada
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Major League Debut
4 9,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1977
Eddie Murray
Lou Whitaker
Alan Trammell
Jack Morris
Lance Parrish
Dale Berra
Bump Wills
Rick Honeycutt
Willie Hernandez
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1995 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.4% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1983 World Series
1984 American League Championship Series
1984 World Series
1987 American League Championship Series
Awards and Honors
1984 AL Cy Young
1984 AL MVP
Matchup BigData
Over the 1977 and 1978 seasons, Hernandez went 21 innings without allowing a run to the Pirates.
All-Star Selections
1984 AL
1985 AL
1986 AL
Learn More about Willie Hernandez
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