Keith Hernandez was born on Tuesday, October 20, 1953, in San Francisco, California. Hernandez was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 30, 1974, with the St. Louis Cardinals. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Keith Hernandez baseball stats page.
"Too much of his (Hall of Fame) candidacy, however, is obscured by his home run total, meager by the standards of (Gil) Hodges, Stan Musial, Ted Kluszewski, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, (Steve) Garvey, Fred McGriff, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols — first basemen all. Where is it written that first basemen must also be sluggers? Hernandez wasn't. He probably wouldn't have been even if he had not spent most of his career playing in home ballparks that were home run unfriendly. Neither old Busch Stadium nor Shea Stadium surrendered easily. But he was a productive and clutch hitter. Hernandez scored more runs and drove in more runs per 500 at-bats than (Brooks) Robinson. And when we finally put away all the OPS stuff, runs win games. But if batting average is a yardstick, Hernandez's average in his 13 prime seasons was 30 points higher than Robinson's in his 18 prime seasons. Offensively then, Robinson did it longer, Hernandez did it better. And no matter how much credit Robinson gets — and deserves — for his brilliant defense, Hernandez, as a first baseman, was at least comparable to Robinson as a third baseman. Each was best at what he did for an extended period. One is a Hall of Famer. The other ought to be." - Noble, Marty. MLB Staff Writer. Hernandez deserving of Hall of Fame. 1 December 2009.
Keith HernandezKeith Hernandez Autograph on a 2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Baseball Card (#KH) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keith HernandezKeith Hernandez Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Keith HernandezKeith Hernandez Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1974 | 21 | Cardinals | 14 | 34 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .294 | .415 | .441 |
1975 | 22 | Cardinals | 64 | 188 | 20 | 47 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 17 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .250 | .309 | .362 |
1976 | 23 | Cardinals | 129 | 374 | 54 | 108 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 46 | 49 | 5 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .289 | .376 | .428 |
1977 | 24 | Cardinals | 161 | 560 | 90 | 163 | 41 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 91 | 79 | 11 | 88 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | .291 | .379 | .459 |
1978 | 25 | Cardinals | 159 | 542 | 90 | 138 | 32 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 64 | 82 | 11 | 68 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 12 | .255 | .351 | .389 |
1979 | 26 | Cardinals | 161 | 610 | 116 | 210 | 48 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 105 | 80 | 5 | 78 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 | .344 | .417 | .513 |
1980 | 27 | Cardinals | 159 | 595 | 111 | 191 | 39 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 99 | 86 | 4 | 73 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 14 | .321 | .408 | .494 |
1981 | 28 | Cardinals | 103 | 376 | 65 | 115 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 48 | 61 | 6 | 45 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 | .306 | .401 | .463 |
1982 | 29 | Cardinals | 160 | 579 | 79 | 173 | 33 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 94 | 100 | 19 | 67 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 | .299 | .397 | .413 |
1983 | 30 | Cardinals | 55 | 218 | 34 | 62 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 24 | 5 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .284 | .352 | .431 |
1983 | 30 | Mets | 95 | 320 | 43 | 98 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 64 | 9 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .306 | .424 | .434 |
1984 | 31 | Mets | 154 | 550 | 83 | 171 | 31 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 94 | 97 | 12 | 89 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 9 | .311 | .409 | .449 |
1985 | 32 | Mets | 158 | 593 | 87 | 183 | 34 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 91 | 77 | 15 | 59 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 14 | .309 | .384 | .430 |
1986 | 33 | Mets | 149 | 551 | 94 | 171 | 34 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 83 | 94 | 9 | 69 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 14 | .310 | .413 | .446 |
1987 | 34 | Mets | 154 | 587 | 87 | 170 | 28 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 89 | 81 | 8 | 104 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | .290 | .377 | .436 |
1988 | 35 | Mets | 95 | 348 | 43 | 96 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 55 | 31 | 3 | 57 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | .276 | .333 | .417 |
1989 | 36 | Mets | 75 | 215 | 18 | 50 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 27 | 3 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .233 | .324 | .326 |
1990 | 37 | Indians | 43 | 130 | 7 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .200 | .283 | .238 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
17 Years | 2,088 | 7,370 | 1,124 | 2,182 | 426 | 60 | 162 | 7 | 1,071 | 1,070 | 130 | 1,012 | 10 | 71 | 32 | 161 | .296 | .384 | .436 |
Keith HernandezKeith Hernandez Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1974 Cardinals | 1B | 9 | 8 | 228 | 73 | 8.1 | 71 | 70 | 1 | 2 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 8.41 |
1975 Cardinals | 1B | 56 | 48 | 1,320 | 507 | 9.1 | 505 | 469 | 36 | 2 | 34 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .996 | 10.33 |
1976 Cardinals | 1B | 110 | 97 | 2,652 | 979 | 8.9 | 969 | 862 | 107 | 10 | 87 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 9.87 |
1977 Cardinals | 1B | 158 | 150 | 402 | 1,571 | 9.9 | 1,559 | 1,453 | 106 | 12 | 146 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 104.71 |
1978 Cardinals | 1B | 158 | 148 | 3,981 | 1,542 | 9.8 | 1,532 | 1,436 | 96 | 10 | 124 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 10.39 |
1979 Cardinals | 1B | 160 | 156 | 4,239 | 1,643 | 10.3 | 1,635 | 1,489 | 146 | 8 | 145 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .995 | 10.41 |
1980 Cardinals | 1B | 157 | 157 | 4,104 | 1,696 | 10.8 | 1,687 | 1,572 | 115 | 9 | 146 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .995 | 11.10 |
1981 Cardinals | 1B | 98 | 97 | 2,619 | 1,143 | 11.7 | 1,140 | 1,054 | 86 | 3 | 99 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .997 | 11.75 |
1981 Cardinals | LF | 3 | 2 | 27 | 2 | 0.7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.00 |
1982 Cardinals | 1B | 158 | 153 | 4,110 | 1,732 | 11.0 | 1,721 | 1,586 | 135 | 11 | 140 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 11.31 |
1982 Cardinals | LF | 2 | 2 | 39 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.69 |
1982 Cardinals | RF | 2 | 2 | 48 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1983 Cardinals | 1B | 54 | 53 | 1,473 | 638 | 11.8 | 632 | 581 | 51 | 6 | 62 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 11.58 |
1983 Mets | 1B | 90 | 89 | 2,355 | 940 | 10.4 | 933 | 837 | 96 | 7 | 85 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 10.70 |
1984 Mets | 1B | 153 | 152 | 39 | 1,364 | 8.9 | 1,356 | 1,214 | 142 | 8 | 127 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 938.77 |
1985 Mets | 1B | 157 | 152 | 4,161 | 1,453 | 9.3 | 1,449 | 1,310 | 139 | 4 | 113 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .997 | 9.40 |
1986 Mets | 1B | 149 | 146 | 3,906 | 1,353 | 9.1 | 1,348 | 1,199 | 149 | 5 | 115 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .996 | 9.32 |
1987 Mets | 1B | 154 | 151 | 3,843 | 1,457 | 9.5 | 1,447 | 1,298 | 149 | 10 | 110 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 10.17 |
1988 Mets | 1B | 93 | 91 | 2,301 | 813 | 8.7 | 811 | 734 | 77 | 2 | 63 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .998 | 9.52 |
1989 Mets | 1B | 58 | 55 | 1,419 | 440 | 7.6 | 436 | 405 | 31 | 4 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 8.30 |
1990 Indians | 1B | 42 | 39 | 960 | 362 | 8.6 | 360 | 340 | 20 | 2 | 28 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 10.13 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1B Totals | 2,014 | 1,942 | 44,112 | 19,706 | 9.8 | 19,591 | 17,909 | 1,682 | 115 | 1,654 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 11.99 | |
LF Totals | 5 | 4 | 66 | 3 | 0.6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.23 | |
RF Totals | 2 | 2 | 48 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 | |
17 Years | 2,021 | 1,948 | 44,226 | 19,713 | 9.8 | 19,598 | 17,916 | 1,682 | 115 | 1,654 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 11.96 |
Keith HernandezKeith Hernandez Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1974 Cardinals | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.3 | 17.0 | - | - | - |
1975 Cardinals | 0 | 1 | .000 | 10 | 0 | n/a | 62.7 | 7.2 | 9.4 | - | - | - |
1976 Cardinals | 4 | 2 | .667 | 20 | 0 | n/a | 53.4 | 7.1 | 8.1 | - | - | - |
1977 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | .500 | 6 | 0 | n/a | 37.3 | 6.4 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
1978 Cardinals | 13 | 5 | .722 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 49.3 | 8.0 | 8.5 | - | - | - |
1979 Cardinals | 11 | 6 | .647 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 55.5 | 7.8 | 5.8 | - | - | - |
1980 Cardinals | 14 | 8 | .636 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 37.2 | 8.2 | 6.0 | - | - | - |
1981 Cardinals | 12 | 5 | .706 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 47.0 | 8.4 | 7.8 | - | - | - |
1982 Cardinals | 19 | 11 | .633 | 1 | 1 | n/a | 82.7 | 8.6 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
1983 Cardinals | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 72.7 | 7.3 | 8.4 | - | - | - |
1983 Mets | 8 | 4 | .667 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 35.6 | 7.6 | 8.6 | - | - | - |
1984 Mets | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 36.7 | 6.2 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
1985 Mets | 3 | 3 | .500 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 59.3 | 10.1 | 6.5 | - | - | - |
1986 Mets | 2 | 1 | .667 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 42.4 | 8.0 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
1987 Mets | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 32.6 | 5.6 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
1988 Mets | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 31.6 | 6.1 | 6.3 | - | - | - |
1989 Mets | 0 | 3 | .000 | 19 | 0 | n/a | 53.8 | 5.5 | 11.3 | - | - | - |
1990 Indians | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 130.0 | 7.6 | 16.3 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
17 Years | 98 | 63 | .609 | 88 | 2 | 0 | 45.5 | 7.3 | 6.9 | - | - | - |
Keith HernandezKeith Hernandez Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1974 St. Louis Cardinals | 18 | $15,000.00 | - | - |
1975 St. Louis Cardinals | 18 | $16,125.00 | - | - |
1976 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $55,500.00 | - | - |
1977 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $60,000.00 | - | - |
1978 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $500,000.00 | - | - |
1979 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $500,000.00 | Stats | - |
1980 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $760,000.00 | Stats | - |
1981 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $760,000.00 | - | - |
1982 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $760,000.00 | - | Stats |
1983 St. Louis Cardinals | 37 | $948,660.00 | - | - |
1983 New York Mets | 17 | " " | - | - |
1984 New York Mets | 17 | $1,073,660.00 | Stats | - |
1985 New York Mets | 17 | $1,100,000.00 | - | - |
1986 New York Mets | 17 | $1,650,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
1987 New York Mets | 17 | $1,800,000.00 | Stats | - |
1988 New York Mets | 17 | $1,850,000.00 | - | - |
1989 New York Mets | 17 | $2,000,000.00 | - | - |
1990 Cleveland Indians | 17 | $1,750,000.00 | - | - |
Keith Hernandez Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Keith Hernandez was a Major League Baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals (1974-1983), New York Mets (1983-1989), and Cleveland Indians (1990). Did you know Keith Hernandez was the first Mets Team Captain in franchise history? Those who have served as Captain of the New York Mets: Keith Hernandez 1987-1989, Gary Carter 1988-1989, John Franco 2001-2004, and David Wright 2013-2018.
Did you know that Keith Hernandez won the most Gold Glove Awards at First Base, capturing eleven consecutive in the National League (NL) from 1978 to 1988. In the American League, Don Mattingly won nine times with the New York Yankees for the second-highest total among first basemen, and George Scott won eight Gold Gloves (third highest all-time), three with the Boston Red Sox and five with the Milwaukee Brewers. The second most in the NL consecutively is seven, captured by Bill White from 1960 to 1966.
Did you know that Keith Hernandez was the first St. Louis Cardinals first baseman to win a Silver Slugger Award (1980) and the first New York Mets first baseman to win a Silver Slugger (1984) as well?
Did you know that Keith Hernandez had his #17 retired by the New York Mets on July 9, 2022? His number now appears in the stadium alongside; Gil Hodges (#14), Jerry Koosman (#36), Mike Piazza (#31), Tom Seaver (#41), and Casey Stengel (#37).
Keith Hernandez Rookie Card | 1975 Topps Baseball Card (#623 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
In 1979, Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez (co-MVPs) each received the same number of points from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), the first and only time the Most Valuable Player Award was split amongst two players.
Willie Stargell received ten first-place votes, three second-place votes, four third-place votes, a fourth-place vote, and two sixth-place votes. The BBWAA uses a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point system for the MVP Award, giving Pops 216 points.
Keith Hernandez received four first-place votes, eight second-place votes, seven third-place votes, two fourth-place votes, and three fifth-place votes. The BBWAA uses a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point system for the MVP Award, giving Mex 216 points.
Keith Hernandez Hits for the Cycle (Box Score) | Ukiah Daily Journal | July 5, 1985 | Page 6
On July 4, 1985, Keith Hernandez hit for the cycle, the fourth by a Mets player, the first in an extra inning game. The previous three Met cycles were completed by Jim Hickman (August 7, 1963), Tommie Agee (July 6, 1970), and Mike Phillips (June 25, 1976) — each one completing the cycle in a nine-inning game. No Met since Hernandez has hit for the cycle in an extra inning game.