Pitcher continues to thrive

He's been in the big leagues for 16 mostly successful seasons, but 51s pitcher Roberto Hernandez's career nearly ended before it began.

After experiencing numbness in his right hand while pitching in 1991 for Vancouver, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Hernandez underwent life-threatening blood clot surgery to transfer veins from his inner thigh to his right forearm.

"It was something scary that makes you not take this game for granted," said the 42-year-old Hernandez, who joined Las Vegas on Sunday. "There were a lot of questions, (like) if I ever pitched again, they thought I'd lose my arm. The doctor told me I've got a 50-50 chance (to live).

"I took it as 50 was better than zero. I worked my tail off, and (after) 16 years in the big leagues, I can't ever look back and say, 'What if?' "

After undergoing two surgeries totaling 16 hours, Hernandez made a miraculous recovery and made his major league debut less than three months later.

Hernandez, who has started only three games in 988 career appearances -- the 12th most in baseball history -- had a no-hitter through six innings and fired a one-hitter for the White Sox in a win over the Kansas City Royals that also featured the return of Bo Jackson.

"I remember before the game, all the reporters were in the clubhouse because of Bo Jackson. It felt like an All-Star Game," Hernandez said. "But after the game, all they wanted to do was interview me. It was something fun and something I'll never forget."

The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound Hernandez is 11th all time in saves with 326 and fourth among active players, behind Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner.

A two-time All-Star who has pitched well in the playoffs, Hernandez entered this season with a 64-68 career mark and a 3.32 ERA.

Last year, he had a 3.11 ERA in 68 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets.

Hernandez struggled to a 6.23 ERA in 28 outings with the Indians this season, but he said he hopes to regain his form with the Dodgers, his 10th major league team.

"It's a second opportunity this year, and hopefully I can get back to the basics here and help the Dodgers out," he said. "My goal is to get my arm back in shape and be prepared to pitch every day."

Hernandez, who will probably be used by the Dodgers in the sixth or seventh inning, needed only six pitches to record three outs for the 51s in his first appearance Monday.

Hernandez, who touched 91 mph on the radar gun, said it shouldn't take him long to get his arm ready.

"Hopefully I'll have a couple more outings and go from there," he said. "(The Dodgers) told my agent and myself to 'get your arm ready and we'll try to get you up as soon as possible.' "

51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said Hernandez still has good stuff, although he doesn't throw in the mid-90s anymore.

"He's still a very serviceable late-inning pitcher," Bundy said. "His ball's still heavy and it's still got sink to it."

A positive influence in the clubhouse, Hernandez still enjoys coming to the ballpark. He said he'll let his body tell him when it's time to retire.

"Apparently my arm is never going to let me know," he said.