Saturday, March 7, 2026

Gum or burgers? Willie Hernandez

Last time was an easy 6-2 win for burgers. Will gum do better here?

The two photos here look like they should go together, even though they probably are not from the same time. The Wendy's card even looks like it could be a night card, though it's probably just a dark photo from a day game in a ballpark not conducive to lighting.

Willie Hernandez was an unremarkable middle reliever for the Phillies from 1977 to 1983, where he was traded to the Phillies mid-season. Right before the 1984 season, the Phillies traded Hernandez to the Tigers. With the Tigers, Hernandez started using two new pitches, the screwball and the cut fastball, that he had learned the previous year. They vaulted him to superstardom, as he was the AL Cy Young and MVP winner with his 9-3, 32 save, 1.92 season, helping the Tigers win the World Series (he had three more saves in the postseason). It didn’t take the American League too long to figure Hernandez out though, and by 1987 he had lost his job as Tigers closer. Overall, in 744 games he went 70-63 with 147 saves and a 3.38 ERA. After his playing career ended he was involved in a variety of business and coaching ventures. He died in 2023.

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