Liván Hernández

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**Liván Hernández**

Minnesota Twins — No. 61
Starting Pitcher
Born: February 20, 1975 (1975-02-20) (age 33)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
September 24, 1996 for the Florida Marlins
Selected MLB statistics (through June 5, 2008)
Win-Loss	140-130
Earned run average	4.27
Strikeouts	1571
Teams
Florida Marlins (1996-1999) San Francisco Giants (1999-2002) Montréal Expos (2003-2004) Washington Nationals (2005-2006) Arizona Diamondbacks (2006-2007) Minnesota Twins (2008-present)

Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera (born February 20, 1975 in Villa Clara, Cuba), known as Liván Hernández ([liˈβan ɛrˈnandɛs]), is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins. He is the half-brother of pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernández.

Hernández defected to the United States from Cuba in 1995. Hernández has played with the Florida Marlins (1996-1999), San Francisco Giants (1999-2002), Montreal Expos (2003–2004) the Washington Nationals (formerly Montreal Expos) (2005-2006) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2006-2007). He bats and throws right-handed. He is known for often throwing a "slow hook" sometimes going even below 60 miles per hour, as a strikeout pitch.

A two-time All-Star, Hernández is considered to be a great defensive pitcher, having made just 11 errors in his career. He is described as a workhorse; he throws many pitches, pitches many innings, and makes every start he needs to in order to provide his team's bullpen much rest. He led the National League in innings pitched in three consecutive seasons, 2003 through 2005, and led the league in complete games for the first two of those years. In 2005, he once threw 150 pitches in nine innings, although the game went into extra innings after he left. In 2004 and 2005, he led the major leagues with 3,927 and 4,009 pitches, respectively. Hernández also is a dangerous hitter, helping his own cause with the bat, and won the Silver Slugger award at the pitcher position in 2004.

After the 2005 season, he had knee surgery, and his performance in the first half of 2006 suffered. At the all star break, he had a 5.64 ERA and allowed hitters a .308 average. But over his last five starts with the Nationals, he had a 3.27 ERA with four walks and 23 strikeouts. [1] On August 7, 2006, Hernandez was traded from the Nationals to the Diamondbacks for two young pitching prospects, Matt Chico and Garrett Mock.

1 2008 with the Minnesota Twins
2 Highlights
3 Relevant Articles
4 External links

[edit] 2008 with the Minnesota Twins

On February 12, 2008, Hernandez signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins worth $5 million, with $2 additional million for performance bonuses. He is expected to take over Johan Santana's spot, and he was the Minnesota Twins Opening Day pitcher for 2008.[2]

He pitched 7 strong innings allowing just 1 run, and getting the win in his Twins debut over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He went 3-0 the first 3 games with 21 innings pitched with the ERA of 2.57 and 6 strikeouts to start his season in the American League.

[edit] Highlights

World Series Champion: Florida Marlins (1997)
Two-Time All-Star: (2004 & 2005)
NL Championship Series MVP: Florida Marlins(1997)
World Series MVP Award: (1997)
Three times led league in innings pitched: (2003, 2004, & 2005)
Twice led league in complete games: (2003 & 2004)
Silver Slugger Award winner: (2004)

[edit] Relevant Articles

[edit] External links

Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
ESPN - Profile and daily updates

Preceded by Javy López	National League Championship Series MVP 1997	Succeeded by Sterling Hitchcock
Preceded by John Wetteland	World Series MVP 1997	Succeeded by Scott Brosius
Preceded by Mark Redman	National League Player of the Week (with Preston Wilson) July 7-13, 2003	Succeeded by Rich Aurilia
Preceded by Dontrelle Willis	National League Pitcher of the Month July 2003	Succeeded by Mark Prior