Legendary Former Phillies Closer Passes Away
The legendary Philadelphia Phillies outfielder died on Monday.
The baseball world is mourning legendary closer Willie Hernández, who died Monday at the age of 69. Born in Puerto Rico, Hernández was one of the greatest relievers of his time. The tall lefty had an impressive 13-year MLB career from 1977 to 1989, splitting time with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers, making three All-Star teams. Hernandez achieved his greatest success with the Tigers until the 1984 season, when the Phillies traded him. The move came at a bad time for Philadelphia, as Hernández immediately had the best year of his career. He went 9-3 with a 1.92 ERA in 140 1/3 innings and led MLB with 80 strikeouts and 68 walks. Hernández capped a magical season by helping Detroit win the World Series, recording three saves in the postseason and posting a 1.93 ERA. In addition to a World Series ring, Hernandez earned his first All-Star nomination, AL Cy Young and MVP awards.
On a team that won 104 games in the regular season and featured stars like Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris, Hernandez stood out for his resilience and the way he accounted for most of the team’s wins. Meanwhile, the Phillies hit themselves for letting Hernández go not once, but twice. They originally signed him as an 18-year-old in 1973, but lost him to the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft three years later. They brought him back in a trade in 1983 and he pitched well in Philadelphia, going 8-4 with a 3.29 ERA in 63 plate appearances. He helped the Phillies win the NL pennant, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the Fall Classic. After that, Philadelphia went through nearly a decade of mediocrity, and poor returns from Hernández (Glenn Wilson and John Walkenfuss) didn’t help.
Although his time with the Phillies was short, Hernandez still made a huge impact and was a key part of the pennant winning team. He may have had more success in Detroit, but his contributions in Philadelphia should not be forgotten.
