Orlando Hernández Pedroso (born October 11, 1965 in Villa Clara, Cuba), also nicknamed "El Duque", is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher.

Hernández decided to defect from Cuba in 1997, in order to play in the major leagues. He is the older half-brother of pitcher Liván, like Orlando, another defector in 1995.

Before the 2005 season, the Chicago White Sox agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Hernandez, who had been with the New York Yankees (1998-2002, 2004). He also was on the Expos roster in 2003 but never played a game for them due to an injury.

Hernández enjoyed his best year in 1999, with a 17-9 record and setting career-highs in strikeouts (157) and innings pitched (214.1). After the regular season, he was selected the Most Valuable Player in the American League Championship Series.

In a six-year career, Hernández has a 61-40 record with 703 strikeouts and a 3.96 ERA in 876 innings.

Fact

• When Hernández signed with the Yankees in 1998, he claimed to have been born in 1969. Nevertheless, court documents from Cuba, namely a divorce decree, show his year of birth as 1965. [1]

See also

• List of players from Cuba in Major League Baseball

External links

• ESPN (profile and daily update)
• Baseball Reference (career statistics and analysis)
• Baseball Library (highlights)