Hernandez threw 66 pitches, 44 for strikes. For the most part his velocity ranged between 89 and 92 mph.
EASTLAKE, Ohio -- There was no name on the back of Roberto Hernandez's uniform Wednesday night as he threw his warmup pitches at Classic Park. He was wearing a different number as well, 48 instead of 55.
It was the perfect disguise for a man who lived a lie for the last 11 years.
Hernandez worked methodically in the pen, throwing two and four-seam fastballs. St. Edward's Alex Lavisky caught him as fans hung over the railing high above the bullpen watching the big man sweat.
He threw several minutes out of the windup before taking a break to towel off on the hot night. Then Hernandez pitched out of the stretch. When he finished, he was going over the signs with Lavisky when a kid named Dannie Green yelled something in Spanish that started with "Roberto."
Hernandez turned and flipped him a ball as he walked toward the Class A Lake County Captains dugout. Green leaned over the rail and made a nice catch, out-stretching the guy standing next to him.
"I just used the Spanish from the Taco Bell commercial," said Green, with a laugh. "Instead of Taco Bell, I said baseball."
Hernandez, arrested in the Dominican Republic on Jan. 19 for identity fraud, pitched at Classic Park in 2003 when everyone knew him as Fausto Carmona. He won 17 games that year for the Captains. Three years later he won 19 for the Indians, who finished one victory shy of the World Series.
He has been up and down since, but never lower than he was after his arrest. He was forbidden to leave his country, his career in danger. On Saturday, six months after his arrest, he was finally allowed back into the United States.
Wednesday night, while serving a three-week MLB-imposed suspension, he took his first step toward returning to the mound for the Indians. Hernandez, whose age jumped from 28 to 31 when he was outed by Dominican authorities, pitched five innings against the West Michigan Whitecaps, Detroit's Class A team.
He allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits. He struck out four, didn't walk a batter and induced eight ground-ball outs.
"You expected to see some rust, but there wasn't much," said Carter Hawkins, the Indians' assistant director of player development. "It shows you the amount of work he did in the Dominican. That's a good sign."
Hernandez threw 66 pitches, 44 for strikes. For the most part his velocity ranged between 89 and 92 mph. He topped out at 93 and dropped to 85 in the fourth and fifth innings.
"That's what he's thrown the last couple of years," said Hawkins. "He can get major-league outs with that. It's just a matter of command."
Hernandez earned the win in the 5-4 victory. It was his first victory since he beat Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader on Sept. 20. The soonest Hernandez can join the Indians is Aug. 11. He'll probably make three or four more starts before that happens.
"I felt good," said Hernandez. "It felt to great to be out on that mound. I've pitched here a lot of times here and I remember everything."
Hernandez said he was happy with his pitching line. "I focused on keeping the ball down, making ground balls and throwing strikes," he said.
Two of the three runs he allowed came on a first-inning homer by Aaron Westbrook. The runs were unearned because of an error.
"It was a sinker that didn't move," said Hernandez. "It stayed on the plate. The first inning the ball was a little bit up."
Hernandez will throw a bullpen for Lake County on Saturday. Then he'll make another start, either with the Captains or Class AA Akron.
"I don't know where I'll go after I throw the bullpen on Saturday," said Hernandez. "I'm happy. This is a second opportunity for me. I'm very, very happy."
Hernandez watched the Indians beat Detroit, 5-3, in the clubhouse after he left the game.
"I'll be back [there] soon," he said.
On Twitter: @hoynsie
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/07/roberto_hernandez_has_an_effec.html
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