He made us laugh. He made us cry. But mostly, he made us wonder "how the hell did we get here?" And after one decent start (especially by Colorado Rockies standards), it was all over. Just like that.
Pedro Hernandez was the 14th different pitcher to start a game for the Rockies in 2014 when he was called into duty on July 31 in Chicago. It was a dark day for Colorado, which saw its season blown to smithereens as a result of injuries and various other issues but still decided not to make any moves at the trade deadline. It was also yet another day in which the Rockies lost, though that really wasn't the fault of Hernandez.
What happened
Hernandez fell an out shy of recording a quality start in his lone big league outing of 2014, lasting 5⅔ innings and allowing three runs on six hits and a couple of walks. He was pulled after 94 pitches. That start was better than a large chunk of his Triple-A starts; Hernandez finished with a 6.42 ERA in 88⅓ innings for Colorado Springs and allowed an astounding 125 hits in 88 innings.
The 25-year-old left-hander was designated for assignment on Aug. 2 before reporting back to Colorado Springs two days later. He ultimately finished the season on the seven-day disabled list. On Oct. 14, Hernandez elected to become a minor league free agent.
2014 Grade: Incomplete
It's hard to say that Hernandez, who has a 7.33 ERA in 66⅓ MLB innings for the Twins, White Sox and Rockies, would have been any better than the other emergency starters the team ran out there in 2014. But it's also difficult to say he would have been any worse.