Livan Hernandez, today's starter for the Washington Nationals against the Florida Marlins, has been pitching in the big leagues for a long time. 16 seasons in fact. And for seven teams. And Livan "Lazarus" Hernandez has been the workhorse for all of those teams. During today's game, Livan threw his 3,000th inning (and counting).
Fun Facts about Livan the Heavy Lifter and those three thousand innings (and counting):
- Livan is second among active pitchers in innings pitched. The knuckleballer up at Fenway is first, but he's only 90 innings ahead. Livan's coming for you Wakefield, and hell's coming with him.
- Three times Livan Hernandez has led the league in innings pitched. And it was three years in a row, 2003-2005. In 2003, he threw eight complete games. Livan tossed 255 innings in 2004. In 2005 he decided eight was not enough, and threw nine complete games
- In his career, Livan Hernandez averages 225 innings pitched a season. There are few pitchers who even approach that number, but even those that do aren't a slightly (being kind) overweight 36 year old (again, being kind). Impressive, at least to this couch potato.
Livan, congrats on the 3,000 innings milestone. Cy Young's 7,356 is right around the corner.