Former Detroit Tigers star pitcher Willie Hernandez has passed away at the age of 69, according to MLB insider Hector Gomez.

Willie Hernandez played for 13 years in the big leagues, mostly as a reliever for the Chicago Cubs and the Tigers. He started his career in the majors with the Cubs, but it was with the Tigers that he truly blossomed into a star. Hernandez played for Detroit from 1984 to 1989, during which he collected three All-Star nods and an American League Most Valuable Player award in the 1984 campaign. That season, he went 9-3 with a 1.92 ERA and a 0.941 WHIP.

Although Gomez did not say the cause of Hernandez's death, the former pitcher was known to have dealt with heart problems. In 2007, Hernandez had a pacemaker installed amid heart troubles.

“I passed away putting a pacemaker into my heart and I wake up later on,” Hernandez looked back during an appearance during the Tigers' Opening Day in 2019 (h/The Detroit News). “Because God’s got my heart, so nobody is going to bother my heart. No one is going to touch my heart.”

Apart from the Cubs and the Tigers, Willie Hernandez also spent a short stint with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983 before he was traded to Detroit together with Dave Bergman in exchange for Glenn Wilson and John Wockenfuss.

Overall in his career, he collected a 70-63 record, 147 saves, a 3.38 ERA, and a 1.245 WHIP in 744 games played. It is also worth noting that Hernandez was one of only three relievers in the history of the majors to win a Cy Young and an MVP award in the same season.