Athletes - Keith Hernandez

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	Athletes - Keith Hernandez

Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953 in San Francisco, California) was a slick-fielding Major League Baseball first baseman, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1974-1983), New York Mets (1983-1989), and Cleveland Indians (1990). He batted and threw left-handed, and through most of his career was listed as being 6 feet tall and 195 pounds.

Hernandez attended Capuchino High School and the College of San Mateo (also known as San Mateo Junior College). He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 42nd round of the 1971 draft, as the 776th overall player.

Career achievements

Keith Hernandez achieved the standard as a first baseman by winning 11 Gold Glove awards. His ability to hit in the clutch is attested to by 129 game-winning RBI's in his career, the winning hit in 6% of the games he played. In 1985, he had a record 24 GWRBI's, a record. He was the Sporting News Player of the Year and NL Co-MVP (with Willie Stargell) in 1979. He hit for the cycle, hit .300 seven times, won two World Series rings, and is the NL all-time leader in assists by a first baseman.

Cardinals

Known for his outstanding defense, Hernandez won 11 consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1978-1988) at first base. In 1979, he led the league with a .344 batting average, 48 doubles, and 116 runs scored, and went on to share the National League MVP award that year with Willie Stargell.

Hernandez wore uniform number 18 for the first two years of his career. In 1976, he switched to number 37, insisting that his uniform number end with a 7.

In 1982, the Cardinals won the World Series, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. In Game 6, Hernandez and Cardinal catcher Darrell Porter hit home runs in a 13-1 St. Louis victory.

Mets

After several disagreements with Cardinal management, Hernandez was traded to the Mets on June 15, 1983. The Cardinals received pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey in return. While this trade was probably the best in Mets history, it was a terrible one for the Cardinals, who have not won a World Series since.

The Mets had retired number 37 for former manager Casey Stengel, so Hernandez switched to number 17, which he wore for the remainder of his career. His arrival and veteran leadership seemed to give the Mets confidence and credibility. In 1984, his first full season with the team, the Mets improved from a record of 68-94 to 90-72. The Mets finished second behind the Chicago Cubs in 1984 and the Cardinals in 1985, but won the World Series in 1986. The following season, Hernandez was named the first team captain in franchise history.

Hernandez was often compared with the first baseman of the crosstown New York Yankees, Don Mattingly. Both had won several Gold Gloves, a batting title and a Most Valuable Player award. Unfortunately, both players also had their careers curtailed by back injuries. Hernandez also suffered from knee and hamstring problems. By 1988, at the age of just 34, Hernandez began a sharp decline, and the Mets chose not to re-sign him after his contract ran out at the close of the 1989 season.

On December 7, 1989, the Cleveland Indians signed him to a contract, but back injuries led to his appearance in only 43 games in the 1990 season. Hernandez retired after the season.

Hernandez was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1997, and was voted by the team's fans as the all-time Met first baseman on the team's 40th anniversary in 2002. However, the voting body for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), was never convinced by Hernandez' qualifications. After a period of eligibility of nine years, in 2004 Hernandez failed to garner the requisite 5% of votes (he received 22 with the threshold for that year being 25) necessary to remain on the following year's ballot. Hernandez' last opportunity for Hall of Fame consideration remains with the Veterans Committee, where his name will appear on their ballot no earlier than 2011, which is twenty years from the date of his retirement. In addition, the Mets have never retired his uniform number 17. Eleven different players have worn the number in the 16 seasons since Hernandez left, most notably, pitcher David Cone. In 1991, Cone switched from 44 to 17 in tribute to Hernandez. Former teammates Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda and Roger McDowell all wore number 17 in tribute to Hernandez for teams they played for after leaving the Mets.

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Athletes - Keith Hernandez

Career achievements

Cardinals

Mets

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