Francis Xavier Hernandez (born August 16, 1965) is an American

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

coach and former

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), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played college baseball at

University of Southwestern Louisiana The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

from 1984 to 1986 before pitching in the major leagues, primarily as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

, from 1989 to 1998. He returned to coach in the professional ranks in the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

minor league system from 2002 to 2010, as the pitching coach for the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Hi ...

(2002-2004),

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

(2005-2006) and

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

(2007-2010).

Amateur career

Hernandez played high school baseball at Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas, where he led the Yellow Jackets to a 5-A State Title in 1983 with a 19-1 W/L record and was named the Texas High School Player of the Year. He attended and pitched for the University of Southwestern Louisiana (University of Louisiana-Lafayette) Ragin Cajuns. In 1985, he played collegiate summer baseball for the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in the 4th round of the 1986 MLB Draft.

Professional career

Hernandez pitched in the Major Leagues for the Blue Jays (1989), Houston Astros (1990–1993 and 1996),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995–1996) and Texas Rangers (1997–1998). He posted a career 40-35 record with 35 saves and a 3.90 ERA. His best year came with the Houston Astros in 1992 when he posted a 9-1 record with 7 saves and a 2.11 ERA.

References

External links

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Retrosheet
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Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
1965 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Texas Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Cincinnati Reds players Houston Astros players Knoxville Blue Jays players Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Myrtle Beach Blue Jays players New York Yankees players Oklahoma RedHawks players Orleans Firebirds players Sportspeople from Port Arthur, Texas St. Catharines Blue Jays players Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players Tucson Toros players Tulsa Drillers players Houston Christian Huskies baseball coaches {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub