Oakland Athletics Hernández made his debut with Oakland on June 29, 1999, as a backup catcher for
A. J. Hinch. His steady progress enabled the Athletics to trade Hinch to the
Kansas City Royals a year later. With experience, Hernández became known as a catcher who could solidly hit, mentor young pitchers and had steady defense. He earned praise for his defense and game-calling skills with a powerful
pitching staff that included
Cy Young Award winner
Barry Zito,
Mark Mulder and
Tim Hudson. In 2003, Hernández broke out with his best season, hitting .273 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI and made his first
All-Star Game. His most memorable moment as an Athletic came in Game 1 of the 2003 ALDS against the
Boston Red Sox. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, Hernández bunted down the third base line, which scored
Eric Chavez to win the game. After the season on November 26, Oakland traded him to the
San Diego Padres along with outfielder
Terrence Long in exchange for outfielder
Mark Kotsay. At the time of the deal, Hernández had caught at least 135 games each of the prior four years. The injury sidelined him for four weeks; he was activated on July 26. Upon his return, he batted .281 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI in the second half. He finished the 2004 season with a .276 batting average, 18 home runs, and 63 RBI in 111 games. His jammed wrist forced him to the
disabled list, causing him to miss 18 games. but the condition worsened and he decided to have surgery to repair the torn cartilage. The surgery forced Hernández to the DL for the third time in two seasons, and he missed the entire month of August. He rejoined the team in time for the September stretch run, and was pivotal in the Padres' run to the
National League West championship. Hernández hit .359 in September with five home runs, and drove in 20 runs in just 22 games. He came up with several clutch hits, including two dramatic game-winning home runs: a three-run walk-off shot against
Washington in the 12th inning on September 17, and a grand slam against division rival
San Francisco just 10 days later. He finished the season with a .290 average, 12 home runs and 58 RBI in 99 games. The contract included a team option for the 2010 season as well. Following the season, the Reds signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3 million contract.
Colorado Rockies On November 30, 2011, Hernandez signed a two-year contract with the
Colorado Rockies. He played 52 games for the Rockies and four games for the Triple-A
Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the 2012 season. On March 28, 2013, towards the end of spring training, the Rockies designated Hernández for assignment.
Los Angeles Dodgers On April 6, 2013, the Rockies traded Hernández to the
Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher
Aaron Harang. In 17 games as the Dodgers backup catcher, he hit .208 with three home runs and 6 RBI.
Toronto Blue Jays The
Toronto Blue Jays signed Hernández on June 30, 2013, and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate, the
Buffalo Bisons. Hernández was released on July 9 after playing in five games for the Bisons and hitting .105 (2-for-19) with 2 RBI.
Kansas City Royals Hernández signed a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training with the
Kansas City Royals on January 7, 2014. He opted out of his deal on March 23 and became a free agent. ==Post playing career==