The left-hander tossed 115 1⁄ 3 innings with a 3.28 ERA on the year. Hernandez was traded back to the Phillies in 1983, and helped lead them to the NL pennant. The Cubs used him in relief, and eventually Hernandez developed a cut fastball and his trademark screwball, the pitch that transformed him into a dominant reliever. He didn’t make it as a starting pitcher with the Phillies, and was actually selected away from them in the Rule 5 draft of 1976 by the Chicago Cubs. He became a bit of a southpaw prodigy, hitting 100 mph as a teenager, and was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973. Hernandez was born in 1954 in Aguada, Puerto Rico.
mrxbg3ilwI- Héctor Gómez November 21, 2023 Former American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner Willie Hernandez has passed away at the age of 69.
