Willie Hernández, Relief Pitcher Who Had a Banner 1984, Dies at 69

Willie Hernández, who gained the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1984 when his sensible reduction pitching helped propel the Detroit Tigers to a World Series championship, died on Monday in Sebring, Fla. He was 69.

His demise was introduced by the Tigers. His spouse, Dulce Carrasco, advised the Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora that he had skilled coronary heart issues for a few years.

Hernández, a left-hander, additionally gained the Cy Young Award because the A.L.’s main pitcher in 1984. He was the fourth American League pitcher and seventh pitcher general to win each the Cy Young and M.V.P. laurels, that are voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

“It’s unbelievable, winning these two awards in the same year for a relief pitcher,” he advised The New York Times on successful the M.V.P. honor.

Hernández led main league pitchers in appearances (80) and video games completed (68) in 1984, when he posted a 9-3 file with a 1.92 earned run common. He had 32 saves in 33 probabilities after tallying a complete of solely 27 saves in his seven earlier seasons.

The 1984 Tigers completed 104-58 within the common season, then swept the Kansas City Royals within the American League Championship Series and defeated the San Diego Padres, 4-1, within the World Series.

Hernández appeared in three video games within the World Series and had saves in two of them. He yielded only one run and 4 hits in 5⅓ innings. He earned the ultimate out of the clinching Game 5, getting Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to hit a delicate fly to left discipline.

Hernández grew to become solely the third pitcher in main league historical past, after Sandy Koufax and Denny McLain, to win the Cy Young and M.V.P. awards and seem with World Series champions in the identical season. He was an All-Star in 1984 and the 2 seasons that adopted.

Guillermo Hernández Villanueva was born on Nov. 14, 1954, in Aguada, P.R., the seventh of eight kids. His father, Dinicio, labored in a sugar cane manufacturing facility, and his mom, Dominga, was a housekeeper. He performed baseball as a youth, joined the Puerto Rican nationwide group in 1973 after his highschool commencement and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies’ group in September for a $25,000 bonus (the equal of about $170,000 as we speak).

After pitching within the Phillies’ and Chicago Cubs’ minor league programs, Hernández made his main league debut with the Cubs in April 1977. He grew to become their main reduction pitcher in 1982.

Hernández started the 1983 season with the Cubs however was traded to the Phillies in May. He helped take them to the National League pennant and appeared in three video games within the 1983 World Series with out giving up a success, although they misplaced to the Baltimore Orioles in 5 video games.

The Phillies traded him to the Tigers in March 1984, and he went on to take pleasure in his marquee season, concentrating on a lower fastball, which pounded right-handed batters inside, and a screwball.

Hernández pitched for the Tigers by means of the 1989 season. In his 13 main league seasons, he appeared in 744 video games, 733 as a reduction pitcher. He compiled a win-loss file of 70-63 with a 3.38 earned run common, 788 strikeouts and 147 saves.

After retiring from baseball, he operated a producing firm and a cattle ranch in Puerto Rico.

On April 4, 2019, Hernández returned to Detroit to throw the ceremonial first pitch on the Tigers’ residence opener to commemorate the thirty fifth anniversary of their successful the 1984 World Series. The group has not gained a championship since then.

Hernández had two sons, Guillermo and Xavier, from his first marriage, to Carmen Rivera, which resulted in divorce. Apart from his second spouse, a listing of survivors was not instantly out there.

Alan Trammell, the Hall of Fame shortstop and Hernández’s longtime Tigers teammate, mentioned in an announcement: “I will never forget our team’s celebration together on the mound after he recorded the final out of the 1984 World Series. He will always be remembered as a World Series champion.”