Livan Hernandez ended the sixth inning Sunday sitting on the pitcher's mound, his legs contorted in a full split. It was an unusual position for him to be in.
Not the sitting part - Hernandez ended up that way after he kicked at a ground ball, lost his balance and gracefully floated to the dirt as he turned his body and watched Luis Castillo complete a routine out.
No, that Hernandez was anywhere near the mound in the sixth inning was the amazing part. The way the Astros cuffed him around in the first, scoring three runs on four consecutive hard hits, it looked like Hernandez was going to be sitting for most of the afternoon. In the clubhouse.
Manager Jerry Manuel later said he was one or two batters away from taking Hernandez out and bringing Tim Redding in. Continue
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