Sports
Willie Hernández
1954–2023 · baseball relief pitcher
Puerto Rican left-handed closer who won both the Cy Young and MVP awards in 1984, the "missing link" of the Tigers' championship team.
- Born
Aguada, Puerto Rico- Died
Sebring, Florida
aged 69- Birth name
- Guillermo Hernández Villanueva
- Also known as
- Guillermo Hernández
- Detroit years
- 1984–1989
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
On March 24, 1984, just before the season, the Tigers acquired Hernández and Dave Bergman from the Philadelphia Phillies for Glenn Wilson and John Wockenfuss. The trade transformed the team. Working in 80 games with a screwball as his out pitch, he converted 32 of 33 save chances and anchored the bullpen of a club that led the division from the first day to the last. The Detroit Free Press called him the missing link that turned a good team into a pennant winner, and Detroit baseball writers named him Tiger of the Year almost unanimously. He recorded the final out of the World Series against San Diego and won both the American League Cy Young and MVP awards, one of the few relievers ever to do so. He remained Detroit's closer through 1989, though his later seasons brought friction with fans and the local press.
Highlights
- 1984 American League Cy Young Award and MVP
- 32 saves in 33 chances for the 1984 champions
- Recorded the final out of the 1984 World Series
- Pitched for the Tigers 1984–1989
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1984–1989
Tiger Stadium
Demolished · 1912–1999
Where he closed out the 1984 World Series; demolished in 2008–2009.