Rudy Hernández (pitcher)

{{short description|Dominican baseball player (1931–2022)}}

{{other people|Rudy Hernandez}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{family name hatnote| Hernández|Fuentes|lang=Spanish}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Rudy Hernández

|position=Pitcher

|image=Rudy Hernández 1961.jpg

|caption=Hernández in 1961

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1931|12|10}}

|birth_place=Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

|death_date={{Death date and age|2022|11|23|1931|12|10}}

|death_place=Condado, Puerto Rico

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=July 3

|debutyear=1960

|debutteam=Washington Senators

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=May 4

|finalyear=1961

|finalteam=Washington Senators

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=4–2

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.12

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=26

|teams=

• Washington Senators (1901–1960) ({{mlby|1960}})
• Washington Senators (1961–1971) ({{mlby|1961}})

}}

Rudolph Albert Hernández Fuentes (December 10, 1931 – November 23, 2022) was a Dominican Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The {{convert|6|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}, {{convert|185|lb|abbr=on}} right-hander was signed by the New York Giants before the 1950 season. He was acquired by the original, modern-era Washington Senators from the San Francisco Giants before the 1959 season, and later drafted by the new Washington Senators from the Minnesota Twins in the 1960 MLB expansion draft.

When he made his major league debut on July 3, 1960 Hernández became only the fourth native of the Dominican Republic to play in the major leagues, and the first pitcher. He preceded Juan Marichal by sixteen days.

Hernández was one of a small number of ballplayers to play for both of the American League's Washington Senators franchises, and one of only three to play for them in consecutive seasons. (Hal Woodeshick and Héctor Maestri are the others.)

Hernández appeared in twenty-one games for the original Washington club, and also appeared in seven games for the expansion Senators. His two-season career totals were 43{{fraction|2|3}} innings pitched, 13 games finished, a 4–2 record, and a 4.12 ERA.

His best game occurred on July 9, 1960,[https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/PX_hernr101.htm "Top Performances for Rudy Hernandez"], Retrosheet when he pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn a victory against the Baltimore Orioles.

He died in Condado, Puerto Rico on November 23, 2022.{{cite web |title=Rudy Hernandez stats |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=hernaru01 |website=Baseball Almanac |access-date=27 November 2022}}