Willie Hernandez was born on Sunday, November 14, 1954, in Aguada, Puerto Rico. Hernandez was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 9, 1977, with the Chicago Cubs. 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 Willie Hernandez baseball stats page.
"Willie Hernandez was one of the most colorful performers our town ever had. I do not mean to be disrespectful by calling him 'Willie' instead of 'Guillermo' but now that he is gone to play for the Oakland A's Triple-A team in Tacoma, I feel I can do this, because it was as Willie Hernandez that he brought us all the excitement - all that electricity - in that remarkable 1984 season. What set him apart from most players on the Tigers is that he touched us all whenever he came in to pitch. You always felt something stir within you whenever he was heading to the mound. It could be good, or it could be bad, but no one could ever ignore Willie Hernandez's presence in a baseball game. Some would cheer and some would boo, but we all wondered what he was going to do. He could get them out with that sinking screwball bending it like a pretzel, or he might groove a fastball and it would wind up bounding aroud in the upper deck for another shattering loss. You just never knew what was going to happen... and this was the essence of Willie Hernandez in Detroit." - Falls, Joe. Detroit Free Press Staff Writer. Hernandez was MVP of '84 season. 29 February 1990. Reprinted From They Earned Their Stripes: The Detroit Tigers' All-Time Team. Whitt, Alan. Editor. Sports Publishing LLC. 1 April 2001. Page 158.
Willie HernandezWillie Hernandez Autograph on a 1984 Topps Baseball Card (#51T) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Willie HernandezWillie 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 |
1977 | 23 | Cubs | 67 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 7 | .533 | 3.03 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 110.0 | 437 | 94 | 37 | 42 | 11 | 28 | 9 | 78 | 8 | 1 | 3 | - |
1978 | 24 | Cubs | 54 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 2 | .800 | 3.77 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 59.2 | 264 | 57 | 25 | 26 | 6 | 35 | 7 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - |
1979 | 25 | Cubs | 51 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 5.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79.0 | 359 | 85 | 44 | 50 | 8 | 39 | 12 | 53 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - |
1980 | 26 | Cubs | 53 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 9 | .100 | 4.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108.1 | 473 | 115 | 53 | 58 | 8 | 45 | 4 | 75 | 6 | 2 | 1 | - |
1981 | 27 | Cubs | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 3.95 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13.2 | 62 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - |
1982 | 28 | Cubs | 75 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 3.00 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 75.0 | 312 | 74 | 25 | 26 | 3 | 24 | 11 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
1983 | 29 | Cubs | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19.2 | 80 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1983 | 29 | Phillies | 63 | 0 | 27 | 8 | 4 | .667 | 3.29 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 95.2 | 398 | 93 | 35 | 39 | 9 | 26 | 7 | 75 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - |
1984 | 30 | Tigers | 80 | 0 | 68 | 9 | 3 | .750 | 1.92 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 140.1 | 548 | 96 | 30 | 30 | 6 | 36 | 8 | 112 | 2 | 4 | 0 | - |
1985 | 31 | Tigers | 74 | 0 | 64 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 2.70 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 106.2 | 415 | 82 | 32 | 38 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 76 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - |
1986 | 32 | Tigers | 64 | 0 | 53 | 8 | 7 | .533 | 3.55 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 88.2 | 376 | 87 | 35 | 35 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 77 | 2 | 5 | 1 | - |
1987 | 33 | Tigers | 45 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 4 | .429 | 3.67 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 49.0 | 217 | 53 | 20 | 27 | 8 | 20 | 7 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
1988 | 34 | Tigers | 63 | 0 | 38 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 3.06 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 67.2 | 284 | 50 | 23 | 24 | 8 | 31 | 6 | 59 | 3 | 4 | 3 | - |
1989 | 35 | Tigers | 32 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 5.74 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 31.1 | 141 | 36 | 20 | 21 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
13 Years | 744 | 11 | 419 | 70 | 63 | .526 | 3.38 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 1,044.2 | 4,366 | 952 | 392 | 431 | 97 | 349 | 79 | 788 | 37 | 25 | 10 | - |
Willie HernandezWillie 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 |
1977 | 23 | Cubs | 67 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .063 | .063 | .063 |
1978 | 24 | Cubs | 55 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1979 | 25 | Cubs | 52 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .375 |
1980 | 26 | Cubs | 53 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .211 | .211 | .263 |
1981 | 27 | Cubs | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1982 | 28 | Cubs | 75 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .250 | .000 |
1983 | 29 | Cubs | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .500 |
1983 | 29 | Phillies | 63 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .385 | .385 | .385 |
1984 | 30 | Tigers | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1985 | 31 | Tigers | 74 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1986 | 32 | Tigers | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1987 | 33 | Tigers | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1988 | 34 | Tigers | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
1989 | 35 | Tigers | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
13 Years | 747 | 63 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .206 | .219 | .238 |
Willie HernandezWillie 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 |
1977 Cubs | P | 67 | 1 | 330 | 35 | 0.5 | 35 | 8 | 27 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.86 |
1978 Cubs | P | 54 | 0 | 179 | 14 | 0.3 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.11 |
1979 Cubs | P | 51 | 2 | 237 | 16 | 0.3 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .938 | 1.71 |
1980 Cubs | P | 53 | 7 | 325 | 32 | 0.6 | 32 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.66 |
1981 Cubs | P | 12 | 0 | 41 | 3 | 0.3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.98 |
1982 Cubs | P | 75 | 0 | 225 | 28 | 0.4 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .964 | 3.24 |
1983 Cubs | P | 11 | 1 | 59 | 5 | 0.5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.29 |
1983 Phillies | P | 63 | 0 | 287 | 14 | 0.2 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.32 |
1984 Tigers | P | 80 | 0 | 421 | 19 | 0.2 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.22 |
1985 Tigers | P | 74 | 0 | 320 | 15 | 0.2 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 1.18 |
1986 Tigers | P | 64 | 0 | 266 | 19 | 0.3 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.93 |
1987 Tigers | P | 45 | 0 | 147 | 7 | 0.2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .857 | 1.10 |
1988 Tigers | P | 63 | 0 | 203 | 18 | 0.3 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.39 |
1989 Tigers | P | 32 | 0 | 94 | 6 | 0.2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.72 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 744 | 11 | 3,134 | 231 | 0.3 | 227 | 58 | 169 | 4 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 1.96 | |
13 Years | 744 | 11 | 3,134 | 231 | 0.3 | 227 | 58 | 169 | 4 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 1.96 |
Willie HernandezWillie 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 |
1977 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 2.79 | 6.38 | 2.29 |
1978 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.09 | 5.73 | 5.28 |
1979 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.6 | 8.0 | 1.36 | 6.04 | 4.44 |
1980 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.7 | 19.0 | 1.67 | 6.23 | 3.74 |
1981 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.63 | 8.56 | 5.27 |
1982 Cubs | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.25 | 6.48 | 2.88 |
1983 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.00 | 8.24 | 2.75 |
1983 Phillies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.6 | 13.0 | 2.88 | 7.06 | 2.45 |
1984 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.11 | 7.18 | 2.31 |
1985 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.43 | 6.41 | 1.18 |
1986 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.67 | 7.82 | 2.13 |
1987 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.50 | 5.51 | 3.67 |
1988 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.90 | 7.85 | 4.12 |
1989 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.88 | 8.62 | 4.60 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
13 Years | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 21.0 | 2.26 | 6.79 | 3.01 |
Willie HernandezWillie Hernandez Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1977 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $25,000.00 | - | - |
1978 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $26,500.00 | - | - |
1979 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $31,000.00 | - | - |
1980 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $55,000.00 | - | - |
1981 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $65,000.00 | - | - |
1982 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $125,000.00 | - | - |
1983 Chicago Cubs | 38 | $225,000.00 | - | - |
1983 Philadelphia Phillies | 48 | " " | - | Stats |
1984 Detroit Tigers | 21 | $530,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
1985 Detroit Tigers | 21 | $660,000.00 | Stats | - |
1986 Detroit Tigers | 21 | $960,000.00 | Stats | - |
1987 Detroit Tigers | 21 | $1,060,000.00 | - | - |
1988 Detroit Tigers | 21 | $1,210,000.00 | - | - |
1989 Detroit Tigers | 21 | $1,310,000.00 | - | - |
Willie Hernandez Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Guillermo Hernández was a Major League Baseball player with the Chicago Cubs (1977-1983), Philadelphia Phillies (1983), and Detroit Tigers (1984-1989). Willie, his nickname, took the mound in sixty-seven games during his first season in the majors, only the second Cubs pitcher in franchise history to appear in sixty-or-more games during their first season – a still-standing franchise mark. Whose record, sixty-three games pitched in 1880, did Hernandez break? [Answer]
Willie Hernandez Rookie Card | 1978 Topps Baseball Card (#99 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
In 1984, Aurelio Lopez "almost" set a Detroit Tigers record for games pitched in a season when he took the mound in 71 games, breaking the mark of 69 games set in 1971, by Fred Scherman. Almost, because that same season, Willie Hernandez broke the record himself, appearing in 80 games, the first Detroit Tigers pitcher to appear in 80 games in a single season. Hernandez has since lost the record, a few times, and it's currently 88 games, held by Mike Myers (1997) and Sean Runyan (1998).
Willie Hernandez was the sixth pitcher in American League history to pitch in 80-or-more games, joining John Wyatt (81 GP in 1964), Eddie Fisher (82 GP in 1965), Wilbur Wood (88 GP in 1968), Ken Sanders (83 GP in 1971) and Mike Marshall (90 GP in 1979).
Did you know that Willie Hernandez was the first left-handed pitcher in American League history to win a Cy Young Award, a Most Valuable Player Award, and a World Series ring, all in the same season (1984)? Sandy Koufax (1963) was the first lefty from the National League (as well as the first ever).
Willie Hernandez won the 1984 American League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP), the sixth Detroit Tiger to win the MVP (Mickey Cochrane, Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Hal Newhouser, Denny McLain), their third pitcher (Hal Newhouser, Denny McLain), their first relief pitcher. [Other relief pitchers who won an MVP, before Willie (from either league), were Jim Konstanty, Rollie Fingers, and Dennis Eckersley.]
Willie Hernandez Wins Cy Young | The Index-Journal | 31 October 1984 | Page 12Baseball Almanac Research Library
Willie Hernandez hung up his cleats in 1989, pitching in 744 games, and recording 147 saves, each stat the most by any pitcher born in Puerto Rico (each mark since broken by Roberto Hernandez). On Monday, November 20, 2023, Willie Hernandez died at his home in Sebring, Florida. He was 69-years-old.