Righty Elieser Hernandez earned his first major league win as a starting pitcher—third win overall—on Friday night at Marlins Park. A big reason why? He succeeded in all three of his matchups with former teammate J.T. Realmuto.
In the first inning, Hernandez escaped a jam by striking out Realmuto swinging with two runners on and two down.
In the top half of the fourth, Hernandez blew three consecutive four-seam fastballs past Realmuto, with all pitches in the 90-92 mph range.
Hernandez faced Realmuto again in the sixth inning. With the veteran catcher representing the potential tying run, the 24-year-old stuck with the formula and got him chasing a high fastball.