Willie Hernández Dies at 69; Former MLB Pitcher Won Cy Young, MVP, WS in 1984

Former American League MVP and Cy Young winner Willie Hernández has died at the age of 69.

The Detroit Tigers, one of Hernández's former teams, issued a statement about the three-time All-Star on Tuesday.

An official cause of death hasn't been announced. He did have heart problems several years ago that resulted in him having a pacemaker installed.

"I passed away putting a pacemaker into my heart and I wake up later on," Hernández told reporters after throwing out the first pitch at the Tigers' home opener in 2019. "Because God's got my heart, so nobody is going to bother my heart. No one is going to touch my heart."

Hernández began his professional baseball career in his native Puerto Rico before signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973. He spent three years in the minors before being selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 1976 Rule 5 draft.

The Cubs gave Hernández his first MLB exposure in 1977 when he appeared in 67 games as a reliever. The left-hander played seven seasons in Chicago before being traded back to Philadelphia early in the 1983 campaign.

After finishing the season with the Phillies, Hernández was traded to the Tigers in March 1984. The move turned out to be a spark that ignited his entire career. He won AL MVP and Cy Young in his first year with the club after posting a 1.92 ERA in 140.1 innings over 80 games.

Hernández is one of 11 players in MLB history to win both awards in the same season. The Tigers defeated the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series. It remains the last title won by the franchise.

He was named to the AL All-Star team in three consecutive years from 1984 to '86. Injuries ultimately ended Hernández's career after the 1989 season, though he tried multiple comebacks without getting back on the mound in an MLB game.

Hernández finished his career with a 3.38 ERA in 1,044.2 innings in 744 appearances over 13 seasons with three different teams.