1. Overview
Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera, born on February 20, 1975, is a Cuban-born former professional baseball pitcher who had a notable 17-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for nine different teams, showcasing remarkable durability and a distinctive pitching style. Hernández achieved significant accolades early in his career, including being named the MVP of the 1997 World Series while with the Florida Marlins. Known for his "workhorse" mentality, he consistently pitched deep into games and led the National League in innings pitched for three consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2005. Despite a highly successful career with over 53.00 M USD in earnings, Hernández faced unexpected financial difficulties after retirement, leading to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing. Today, he operates a youth baseball academy, continuing his involvement in the sport. He is also the half-brother of fellow former MLB pitcher Orlando Hernández.
2. Early Life and Defection
Liván Hernández was born into a poor family in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. His exact age has been a subject of some debate among observers. In 1994, he met recruiter Joe Cubas in Venezuela, and together they devised a plan for Hernández to escape Cuba through Mexico. At the age of 20, Hernández gave up his status as an official Cuban athlete and successfully defected to the United States in 1995. Two years later, his half-brother, Orlando "El Duque" Hernández, would also defect. During the 1997 World Series, a significant and emotional reunion took place when Hernández was able to meet his mother, Miriam Carreras, for the first time in two years. This reunion was facilitated by coordinated efforts between the Cuban and United States governments, alongside a written plea from the entire Florida Marlins roster. His mother and sister now reside in Miami.
3. Professional Career
Liván Hernández enjoyed a comprehensive 17-year career in Major League Baseball, during which he pitched for nine different teams. After defecting from Cuba, he signed a four-year, 4.50 M USD contract with the Florida Marlins on January 13, 1996, with the intention of establishing residence in Miami.
3.1. Florida Marlins (1996-1999)
Hernández made his Major League debut with the Florida Marlins on September 24, 1996, pitching three scoreless innings in a relief appearance against the Atlanta Braves. He joined the team full-time in June 1997, concluding his rookie season with a 9-3 record, a 3.17 ERA, and 72 strikeouts across 17 starts.
His pivotal moment came in the 1997 World Series, where the Marlins faced the Cleveland Indians. Hernández started and won both Game 1 and Game 5 of the series. Earlier in the 1997 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, he set a postseason record by striking out 15 batters in Game 5. His exceptional performance throughout the postseason earned him both the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP awards. Before Game 7 of the World Series, Hernández experienced an emotional reunion with his mother, Miriam Carreras, for the first time in two years, a moment facilitated by the efforts of the Cuban and United States governments and a plea from his teammates.
3.2. San Francisco Giants (1999-2002)
On July 25, 1999, the Florida Marlins traded Hernández to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor league prospects Nate Bump and Jason Grilli. In 2000, he achieved a career-high of 17 wins, finishing the season with a 17-11 record and a 3.75 ERA over 240 innings in 33 starts. While his performance saw a slight regression in the subsequent two seasons, he maintained his reputation for durability, pitching 226+2/3 innings and 216 innings in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Despite these high inning totals, his record was 13-15 with a 5.24 ERA in 2001 and 12-16 with a 4.38 ERA in 2002. His 16 losses in 2002 tied for the most in the National League. During his tenure with the Giants, Hernández made five postseason appearances, one in 2000 and four in 2002, finishing the 2002 postseason with a 1-2 record and a 6.20 ERA.
3.3. Montréal Expos / Washington Nationals (2003-2006)
On March 23, 2003, following the 2002 World Series, the San Francisco Giants traded Hernández, along with infielder Edwards Guzmán, to the Montréal Expos for relief pitchers Jim Brower and Matt Blank. During his time with the Expos and later the Washington Nationals, Hernández solidified his reputation as a "workhorse" pitcher due to his remarkable ability to pitch deep into games.
From 2003 to 2005, he led the National League in innings pitched for three consecutive seasons, and he led the league in complete games in both 2003 and 2004. In 2003, Hernández achieved a 15-10 record with a career-low 3.20 ERA in 33 starts, pitching 233+1/3 innings that included eight complete games. He recorded 178 strikeouts, ranking seventh in the NL, and achieved a career-high 6.87 strikeouts per nine innings ratio, delivering 22 quality starts. His performance in July 2003 was particularly dominant, with a 4-1 record and a 1.80 ERA over 50 innings in six starts, including three complete games and 43 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .197 batting average. This earned him the National League Pitcher of the Month Award. He also had a remarkable stretch from July 2 to September 5, during which he recorded 13 consecutive quality starts, allowing two earned runs or less in 11 of them, and pitching at least seven innings in all but one. During this period, he went 9-2 with a 1.54 ERA over 105 innings, averaging over eight innings per start, striking out 95 batters against 24 walks, and limiting opponents to a .203 batting average.
In 2004, Hernández was selected to represent the Expos at the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Houston, Texas. This was his first of two All-Star selections and the last All-Star selection for the Expos franchise before their relocation. Despite an 11-15 record, he maintained a respectable 3.60 ERA over 35 starts, with 20 of them being quality starts. He led all Major League pitchers with 255 innings pitched and threw nine complete games, including two shutouts, while striking out a career-high 186 batters (ranking ninth in the NL). Hernández also received the National League Silver Slugger Award for a pitcher in 2004, recognized for his hitting prowess with a .247 batting average, one home run, and 10 RBI.
Between the 2004 and 2005 MLB seasons, the Montréal Expos franchise, including Hernández, relocated to Washington, D.C., becoming the Washington Nationals. Hernández made history by starting and winning the first Major League game in Washington since 1971, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 on April 14, 2005. He continued his streak of leading the National League in innings pitched in 2005 and earned his second All-Star selection, becoming one of the first All-Stars for the new Nationals franchise alongside reliever Chad Cordero. After undergoing knee surgery following the 2005 season, his performance in the first half of 2006 suffered, with a 5.64 ERA at the All-Star break. However, he showed improvement in his final five starts with the Nationals, posting a 3.27 ERA with four walks and 23 strikeouts.
3.4. Later Career (2006-2012)
The latter part of Liván Hernández's Major League career saw him continue to demonstrate his durability and consistent effort across various teams, despite frequent changes in affiliation.
3.4.1. Arizona Diamondbacks (2006-2007)
On August 7, 2006, Hernández was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for two young pitching prospects, Matt Chico and Garrett Mock. He made 10 starts for the Diamondbacks to conclude the 2006 season, finishing with a 4-5 record and a 3.76 ERA. However, 2007 proved to be a challenging year for Hernández, as he finished with an 11-11 record and a 4.93 ERA in 33 starts. He led the Major Leagues in home runs allowed with 34 and recorded the lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio in MLB at 1.14.
3.4.2. Minnesota Twins (2008)
On February 12, 2008, Hernández signed a one-year, 5.00 M USD deal with the Minnesota Twins, with an additional 2.00 M USD available in performance bonuses. By July 20, 2008, he led all Twins starting pitchers with 10 wins and 127+2/3 innings pitched. His record with the Twins was 10-6 with a 5.29 ERA and 47 strikeouts. On August 1, 2008, Hernández was designated for assignment by the Twins to make room for Francisco Liriano, at which point his record stood at 10-8 with a 5.48 ERA in 23 starts.
3.4.3. Colorado Rockies (2008)
On August 6, 2008, Liván Hernández was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies. During his brief tenure with the Rockies, he posted a record of 3-3 with a significantly higher 8.03 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 40+1/3 innings in eight starts. He concluded the 2008 season with the highest rate of hits allowed per nine innings in the Major Leagues at 12.9, a league-worst .342 batting average against, and the lowest strikeout rate at 3.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Furthermore, batters made contact with his pitches 91.3% of the time they swung, which was the highest percentage among all Major League starters.
3.4.4. New York Mets (2009)
On February 14, 2009, Hernández signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. He successfully earned the fifth spot in their starting rotation and was added to the Major League roster on April 11. In 2009, Hernández was one of only three active players in MLB, alongside Derek Lowe and Brad Ausmus, who had played 12 or more seasons without being placed on the disabled list.
He quickly established himself as a reliable starting pitcher for the Mets. On May 26, 2009, Hernández threw a complete game, allowing only one earned run via an Adam Dunn home run in a 6-1 victory over his former team, the Washington Nationals. This game marked him as the first pitcher to throw a complete game at Citi Field and made him the only active player at the time to have thrown a complete game with six different teams. However, after struggling significantly in July and August, his position was jeopardized. Following a 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks and a subsequent 10-1 defeat to the San Francisco Giants on August 17, 2009, the Mets decided to release Hernández on August 20 to activate Billy Wagner to the active roster. This decision was made by manager Jerry Manuel.
3.4.5. Second Stint with the Washington Nationals (2009-2011)
On August 26, 2009, just six days after his release by the Mets, Liván Hernández re-signed with the Washington Nationals. He finished the 2009 season with a 2-4 record and a 5.36 ERA in eight starts for the Nationals. On February 24, 2010, Hernández signed another minor league deal to remain with the Nationals and was called up on April 11. He had a bounce-back season in 2010, concluding with a 10-12 record and a 3.66 ERA in 33 starts. His performance earned him a one-year contract extension with the Nationals for the 2011 season, signed on August 29, 2010.
Hernández was the starting pitcher for the Nationals on Opening Day of the 2011 season, marking his fourth career Opening Day start for the franchise. Despite allowing only two earned runs on four hits in 6+2/3 innings, he took the loss in a 2-0 defeat to the Atlanta Braves. On August 30, 2011, in a game against the Braves, Hernández threw the 50,000th pitch of his MLB career, getting Jair Jurrjens to ground out to end the inning. Since 1988, only 11 pitchers had thrown more pitches than him.
3.4.6. Houston Astros (2012)
On January 31, 2012, Hernández signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros, which included an invitation to spring training. However, his tenure with the Astros was short-lived, as he was released by the team on March 30, 2012.
3.4.7. Atlanta Braves (2012)
Within hours of being released by the Houston Astros, Liván Hernández was signed to a one-year Major League deal by the Atlanta Braves on March 30, 2012, to serve as a relief pitcher. On May 5, 2012, in his 485th Major League appearance, he recorded his first career save. However, his time with the Braves concluded on June 19, 2012, when he was released. This decision came after a particularly challenging relief appearance on June 10, where he allowed seven hits, including two home runs, in just 1+2/3 innings as the Braves were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays.
3.4.8. Milwaukee Brewers (2012)
On June 22, 2012, Hernández signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, marking his final Major League stint. Following the conclusion of the season, he was removed from the 40-man roster and opted to become a free agent.
4. Playing Style and Attributes
Liván Hernández's pitching style evolved significantly throughout his career. As a young pitcher, he possessed a fastball that reached the mid-90 mph range, complemented by a slider and a changeup. However, as he aged, he transitioned into a finesse pitcher, relying less on high velocity and more on precise pitch location and movement. His primary pitch in his later career was a sinker that typically sat between 83 mph and 87 mph. He also utilized a four-seam fastball in a similar speed range. Against right-handed hitters, he frequently deployed a cut fastball at 79 mph to 82 mph. His main off-speed offering to right-handers was a "slow hook" curveball, which notably ranged from 65 mph to 70 mph, sometimes even dropping below 60 mph, serving as a key strikeout pitch. For left-handed batters, he added a changeup in the upper 70 mph range. In the 2011 season, his four-seam fastball was recorded as the slowest among all MLB starters.
Beyond his pitching, Hernández was recognized as an excellent defensive pitcher throughout his career. He completed seven full seasons without committing an error, accumulating a career .982 fielding percentage with only 15 errors in 827 total chances across 3,189 innings pitched and 519 games. As of September 30, 2019, his fielding percentage ranked 128th all-time among pitchers. Furthermore, he was considered a better-than-average hitting pitcher, posting a career .221 batting average (215 hits in 973 at-bats) with 64 runs, 38 doubles, 10 home runs, and 85 RBI.
5. Post-Retirement Life and Financial Challenges
After a full season without playing in Major League Baseball, Liván Hernández officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on March 13, 2014. Despite earning more than 53.00 M USD over his 15-year MLB career, Hernández unexpectedly faced significant financial difficulties. On June 30, 2017, he filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in the United States bankruptcy court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Court documents revealed that his assets were valued at no more than 50.00 K USD, and he owed up to 1.00 M USD to approximately 50 creditors. Further disclosures from court proceedings indicated that Hernández did not maintain a bank account and had engaged in heavy gambling at local South Florida casinos, which contributed to his financial distress. Following his retirement and navigating these challenges, Hernández has remained involved in baseball by operating a youth baseball academy in Miami.
6. Legacy and Assessment
Liván Hernández's legacy in Major League Baseball is primarily defined by his remarkable durability and consistent performance over a 17-year career, earning him the moniker of a "workhorse." His ability to pitch deep into games, leading the National League in innings pitched for three consecutive seasons and in complete games for two of those years, underscores his reliability and stamina on the mound. He achieved significant career milestones, most notably being named the World Series MVP in 1997 with the Florida Marlins, a testament to his clutch performance in high-pressure situations. Beyond his pitching, his defensive prowess and surprising hitting ability for a pitcher further contributed to his well-rounded contributions to the game. Despite post-retirement financial challenges, Hernández's sustained presence and impact on multiple teams solidify his place as a memorable and consistent figure in recent baseball history.