Jacinto Hernández Zulueta (September 11, 1940 – October 12, 2019)Dipaola, Jerry.
Ex-Pirates SS Jackie Hernandez, member of 1971 World Series champs, dies
, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 16, 2019. was a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

from to , most notably as a member of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

teams that won two consecutive

National League Eastern Division The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

titles in and , and won the

1971 World Series The 1971 World Series was the championship round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1971 season and featured the first night game in its history. The 68th edition of the Fall Classic was a best-of-seven playoff between the defending World Series ...

Baseball career

Hernández began his professional baseball career with Almendares in the

Cuban Winter League The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the league was sometimes known a ...

, spending the 1960-1961 season on that team's reserve list.Diunte, Nick.
After A World Series Championship Faded, Jackie Hernandez Found A New Life Teaching The Game
, Forbes.com, October 15, 2019. When the Cuban government banned professional baseball after the end of the season, Almendares's general manager

Monchy de Arcos Monchy may refer to: Places * Monchy, Saint Lucia, a town in Saint Lucia * Monchy, Saskatchewan, a former settlement in Saskatchewan, Canada France * Monchy-au-Bois, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department * Monchy-Breton, a commune in the Pas- ...

, who was also a scout for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

, helped Hernández secure a contract with the latter organization. Hernández entered the Indians' farm system as a catcher, and in 1961, he caught

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...

's first professional game while the two were with the

Dubuque Packers Minor league baseball teams have operated in the city of Dubuque, Iowa under a variety of names in various leagues, playing in 52 seasons between 1879 and 1976. Dubuque teams were an affiliate of the Houston Astros (1975–1976), Kansas City Royal ...

. Later, Indians scout

Hoot Evers Walter Arthur "Hoot" Evers (February 8, 1921 – January 25, 1991) was an American baseball outfielder, scout, coach, and executive. Evers played professional baseball from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1956, including 12 seasons in Major League Bas ...

suggested that Hernández's strong throwing arm would be better used at shortstop, and for the next several years Hernández worked to learn the infield. He was released by the Indians on May 15, 1965 and signed by the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, who promoted him to the major leagues later that year at the age of 25. Hernández remained with the Angels until April 10, 1967, when he was chosen as the

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

in a December 2, 1966 deal that sent

Dean Chance Wilmer Dean Chance (June 1, 1941 – October 11, 2015) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher,https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chancde01.shtml Dean Chance Page at Baseball-Reference.com he played in 11 Maj ...

to the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in exchange for

Pete Cimino Peter William Cimino (born October 17, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player who played four seasons for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels of Major League Baseball. He once scored 114 points in a high school basketba ...

Jimmie Hall Jimmie Randolph Hall (born March 7, 1938) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and left-handed batter who played eight seasons in the big leagues. A two-time All-Star, Hall made his debut with the Minnesota Twins (1963–66), followed ...

, and

Don Mincher Donald Ray Mincher (June 24, 1938 – March 4, 2012) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and longtime minor league executive. He played in the majors from 1960–1972 for the "original" Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, Cal ...

. Hernández served as a utility infielder for the Twins in 1967 and 1968, but was left unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft, and the new

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

chose him with the 43rd pick. Hernández served as the Royals' everyday shortstop in their inaugural season, and received the plurality of the starts at that position in 1970, sharing time with Rich Severson and Tommy Matchick. He was traded along with Bob Johnson and

Jim Campanis James Alexander Campanis (born February 9, 1944 in New York City), is a former professional ballplayer who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a catcher from 1966 to 1970 and 1973. Campanis batted and threw right-handed. His father, Al Campan ...

from the Royals to the

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

for

Freddie Patek Freddie Joseph Patek (; born October 9, 1944), nicknamed The Flea or The Cricket, is an American former professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and California Angels ...

Bruce Dal Canton John Bruce Dal Canton (June 15, 1941 – October 7, 2008) was a major league pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967–70), Kansas City Royals (1971–75), Atlanta Braves (1975–76), and Chicago White Sox (1977). Career Dal Canton's career ...

and Jerry May at the

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

on December 2, 1970."Bucs Swing 6-Player Deal with Kansas City Royals," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Thursday, December 3, 1970.
Retrieved November 1, 2022. Initially slated to play in a reserve role, Hernández became the Pirates' regular shortstop after

Gene Alley Leonard Eugene Alley (born July 10, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates from through . A two-time All-Star player, Alley was a ...

sustained an injury. On September 1, 1971, Hernández was part of a notable milestone when, for the first time in baseball history, a team fielded a lineup that consisted entirely of African-American and Latino players. Orioles manager

Earl Weaver Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...

memorably said that "The Pirates can’t win the pennant with Hernandez at shortstop," but Hernandez started all seven games in the

and committed no errors, even successfully handling the ground ball that became the final out of Game 7. Hernandez's role decreased in subsequent seasons, and the Pirates traded him to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

for Mike Ryan in January 1974. Hernández never saw Major League action with the Phillies, however; he returned to the Pirates organization and played for their Triple-A team in 1974. He followed by playing in Mexico in 1975 and 1976. After Hernández's retirement as a player, he remained involved with baseball as a coach, including a stint on the staff of the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are an American professional baseball team based in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is owned by Al Dorso, a businessman who also owns the Sussex County Miners, Sky ...

in 2001. He died from cancer on October 12, 2019 at age 79.

References

External links

Jackie Hernández
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Pura Pelota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Jackie 1940 births 2019 deaths Águilas del Zulia players Burlington Indians players (1958–1964) California Angels players Cardenales de Lara players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Cardenales de Villahermosa players Charleston Charlies players Charleston Indians players Deaths from cancer in Florida Cuban people of African descent Denver Bears players Dubuque Packers players Kansas City Royals players Leones de Ponce players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball shortstops Minnesota Twins players Minor league baseball managers Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010) managers People from Perico, Cuba Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Seattle Angels players Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo players Tigres de Aragua players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico