Former Yankee, and former big game pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez has decided to retire. Ever since last pitching in 2007 with the New York Mets, he's been trying to make a comeback to the Bigs, but failing to do so. After short stops with the minor league affiliates of the Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals, El Duque finally had enough and will turn in his spikes for good.
Every Yankee fan should know who El Duque is. He was the guy who didn't always have the greatest numbers in the regular season, but come postseason he turned up the heat.
I wrote WHY THE YANKEES MISS EL DUQUE explaining why the Yankees miss a guy like him. For his career El Duque has a career 90-65 record with a 4.13 with the Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Mets.
In his postseason career he compiled a 9-3 record with a 2.55 ERA in 106 innings pitched, with a vast majority of those innings as a Yankee. And in the biggest stage, the World Series, he has a 2-1 record in five games, four starts, with a sparkling 2.20 ERA. He won four World Series rings, three with the Yankees, one with Chicago in 2005. He was a Mariano Rivera save away from winning a fifth in 2001, and was three outs away in 2004 for a chance to win a sixth.
Check out this highlight video of El Duque we found on YouTube:
We here at BYB salute you El Duque. You won't make the Hall of Fame, but you'll definitely be invited back for Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium every year. You deserve it, you had a great career.
--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer
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"In his postseason career he compiled a 9-3 record with a 2.55 ERA in 106 innings pitched, with a vast majority of those innings as a Yankee. And in the biggest stage, the World Series, he has a 2-1 record in five games, four starts, with a sparkling 2.20 ERA."
ReplyDeleteHe was truly clutch in the playoffs...he was recently on Spanish language TV here in Miami, AmericaTeve, talking about a little league baseball academy/organization he created, especially for dis-advantaged kids, in terms of opportunity and money.
I saw him pitch in '99 when the Yanks came to town and won vs. the Marlins.