September 26, 2025 • 12 mins
Astros relifer pitcher NMick Hernandez hops on with Wex and AC to talk about the fight to the fiinsih, his time in the Astros clubhouse and a dominant run with the Houston Cougars in college!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
We're talking your team.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team a
straight up three o'clock here on Sports Talk seven to ninety.
It is the A Team. Wex in Eugene, Oregon. AC
back here at the Ranch. We do understand there are
some technical issues we're having right now on the television
(00:30):
side of things, So if you're looking for us over
on Space City Home Network, not just yet, but we
are working on that. We're also working on getting Astros
reliever Nick Hernandez on the phone sooner rather than later
schedule to join us. And there he is just like
that Astros with let's face it, it's do or die every
single time out of late Astros getting that salvage win
(00:50):
yesterday in a thrilling fashion if you like offense, especially
in Nick Hernandez appearing in that game as well as
the last two as a matter of fact. So Nick,
it's come down to this. I don't know that anybody
expected not only this final series of the season to
be as meaningful as it is. But I mean, I
don't think that guys like you even maybe expected this
(01:12):
season to be how it's gone this whole time with
the amount of injuries and the amount of guys like
you who have been asked to step up in the
absence of others. What's it been like to be inside
an Astro's clubhouse in twenty twenty five, so.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
We've been here before, twenty twenty three, similar situation. But
the bods are great, got a lot of veterans, you know,
Korea Altuve, so you know, we're just trying to make
something happen here and you know, get our way in
the postseason.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Nick Adam here with you as well, and it's impossible
to to not engage with this part of your storyline here.
You spent your basically your whole baseball life in Texas,
and over the last ten years, the only Texas teams
that you've played for are Dulles, Alvin, the Cougars, Corpus,
(02:13):
sugar Land, the Skeeters, San Antonio, El Paso, the sugar
Land again, the Cowboys, and now the Houston Astros. I mean,
you have to say, yes, nobody loves Houston, nobody loves
Texas more than Nick Hernandez.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Right, yeah, absolutely, Yeah, I've been I've been blessed over
my especially my pro career. Being close to home, you know,
it's easier on the family, easier on the wife and
my son. You know. I played the first game ever
at Constellation High School against Clements. But it's been great.
(02:52):
I love it here. Yeah, getting drafted by the Shrows
was was this is awesome.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well, I know, these games you're pitching and now, like
it gets the a's yesterday are kind of important. But
dullas Clements, that's a big deal.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah. Yeah, back in back in the day for Ben
I s so we had some good baseball talent there.
How much those those are big games? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And being a local guy, I mean, you know, you
you were not only attending games at well then Enron Field.
How much do you remember of going to the Astronome
very young when you were going to games up out there,
and and and I guess I should ask you, since
we always ask everybody about that very building, what do
you think they should do with it?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, that was a very long time ago, so I
don't have too many memories. I just remember the funnel
cake there and I was just a young boy, you know,
just gaining my conscious you know, But that was I mean,
that was a cool stadium. If you look at the
history of it and the owner and the plan for it,
(04:05):
I'm not sure what they should do with it. I
mean they kind of let it go, I feel like,
but it was I mean, that's a cool, cool stadium.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
We're talking to Nick Hernandez here on Sports Talks seven
ninety Astros Reliever. You got the angels for the next
three You said the vibes in the clubhouse were good.
Were the vibes in the clubhouse? I mean, they couldn't
have been good after the Seattle series and then of
course the way that the series started out against the Athletics.
Is it at this point, with everything that's gone on,
(04:38):
with all of the injuries, and with you know, this
final three games, this handful plus, you're probably needing some
help from the likes of the Tigers. Is it kind
of an US against the world mentality? Or are the
guys loose? It's just when you talk about that veteran leadership,
the Correas, the al two Vays of the world, so
many of these guys have been here, done that before,
so it's it's hard to imagine it's anything other than
(05:00):
just going about your business.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
All right, But I mean it's bates of baseball. You know,
you control what you can control. I mean, you you
take care of the small things, and good things happen.
You know. You you hit the ball, catch the ball,
throw the ball well, and good things happen. And that's
all you can really control. Is so many variables in baseball,
especially one hundred and sixty game season with injuries, anything
(05:23):
could happen. And just another way on the other side,
anything could happen deep into the season. Right now. You know,
we make our way, we find her, we find our
way into a wild card game, and you know, we
get hot, and you know the rest is history because
it's very possible. So I mean, we're just going out
there and playing ball, you know, taking care of the
(05:44):
what we know, taking care of our business.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Well, nick I mentioned I was here with you from
Oregon today. The reason is I'm with the Cougars, the
football team. They've got Oregon State. Tonight part of the
radio broadcast, tell us about your year with the Cougar's
closing games for the baseball team.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
That was a that was a very fun year, you know,
being the closer was it was special. I loved it.
I loved it. There I all. I got to spend
a year there, so I would love I would love to,
you know, play there a little longer. But I loved it,
you know, just being Houston. UH. The program is great,
(06:25):
you know, winning, he's got He's grown the program so
much over the years too. When I was there, football
was when we had UH, I forgot who we'd be.
I think it was I think would be OU. We'd
beat Louisville when they had Lamar Jackson. So the football
program was was it was up those two years, so
(06:48):
everything was the whole experience was was great. It's fun.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
It's funny you mentioned that. I was actually talking about
that very game last night about some of the things
that we're going on with the football program then and
where they are right now, and again, I think that
there's a lot of growth with what's happened on the
athletic side, obviously facilities, the football side, and clearly trying
to make sure they keep up with everybody everybody across
the country with that IL money and the way things
go like that. For you, specifically back on the diamond
(07:18):
and as a professional, as you make your major league
debut a couple of seasons ago and you've been up
and down with the first of the Padres and now
the Astros a handful of times, and even this year
a bunch of times with the Big Club and then
back down to the Space Cowboys. What are the things,
maybe even just this year you've tried to work on,
maybe to create more consistency or add life or juice
to any one of your pitches, anything in particularly you've
(07:39):
worked on this past year.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Yeah, a few things, just being more consistent with my
fastball to let my other weapons play. Always had a
pretty good slider, and but the less I get to
use it, and like an a B you know, I
can get them looking for something else really helps and
(08:05):
then I can put away with that slider or the splitter,
which I introduced this year. Learned it I learned at
the end of the year with the Astros Triple A
coach which to help me develop that, and then Murphy
Bill Murphy in the offseason, really we really focus on that.
How I was living in Houston offseason, so I was
(08:25):
able to, you know, go in to Dacon towards the
end and work one on one with with Miller and
Murphy with the splitter, and we kind of bought into
it and I love it now. It's it's been a
slow development with that pitch because even splitter, it's a
big it's a big grip. You know, it's hard to
it can be inconsists at times, but if you can
really hone it down. I think the usage on it,
(08:47):
and like last year was five percent in the MLB,
so hitters will see it often. So I mean, I
love it. It's a it's a good pitch to have
in the arsenal.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Talking to Nick Hernandez, Astro's relief pitcher here on Sports
Talks seven ninety, I have it on good authority speaking
of your coaches over the course of your career, that
as a kid, Steve Sparks was one of your coaches
and that you two are still very friendly today. I
can't imagine that there were many dull moments when you're
growing up being coached by the one and only sparky.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Steve the Man.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I actually learned a lot from Steve just from being
a catcher and travel ball and he would call fishes
from the dugouts, so I kind of got just learned
a lot about pitch sequencing and all that. I still
use a few tricks that he taught me, you know,
to this day. But yeah, he's a man. He takes
me home whenever I don't have my vehicle at the stadium,
(09:46):
when we fly back in, he'll take me home because
he lives in Sugar. I mean, he lives in the
EU scenario around me. So that's awesome. Steve's the man though,
he's got he's got some great stories.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
No, he definitely does. He's got a heck of an
interview acumen in a clubhouse too after a clinched playoff
victory or a division of some sort. So, by the way,
first time that I can remember in forever that the
Astros are not division champions. Is that something anybody's even
talking about at this point?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
You know?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
And Seattle, it felt like for a while there, for
a few weeks, nobody wanted to kind of take command
of this thing, and eventually they got kind of hot,
just as you guys went into a little bit of
a down period. Is that just already put in the
rearview mirror, like as soon as Sunday night Monday morning,
or was there any conversation about that, because it's been
(10:43):
the Astros and everybody else for nearly a decade.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Right when I got drafted in sixteen. It's been just
pure dominance, you know, ever since. But yeah, the norm
has been, you know, winning the division and for the
jorty of the season though we were on top. You know, Mariners,
(11:12):
they got a good team, they played well at the
right time. But you know we're still in this. We
get in that wild card game and upwards, spiral could
easily happen for us, So not too much of a
big deal, but looking to get hot, looking to get
in that thing, and you know, get hot at the
(11:33):
right time, anything can happen.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, Astros looking to put the wild in wild card
if they can do that. Nick, we appreciate the time,
especially from a local product. Good having you, and good
luck over this weekend and hopefully beyond.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
All Right, guys, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Absolutely, Nick Hernandez Astros a relief pitcher. Here on Sports
Talk seven ninety year home for Astros Baseball. We'll switch
gears a little football conversation. It didn't take long, but
fans already complaining about the kickoffs in the NFL. We'll
talk about that next the ag on Sports Talk seven
(12:08):
ninety
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
We're talking your team.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team a
straight up three o'clock here on Sports Talk seven to ninety.
It is the A Team. Wex in Eugene, Oregon. AC
back here at the Ranch. We do understand there are
some technical issues we're having right now on the television
(00:30):
side of things, So if you're looking for us over
on Space City Home Network, not just yet, but we
are working on that. We're also working on getting Astros
reliever Nick Hernandez on the phone sooner rather than later
schedule to join us. And there he is just like
that Astros with let's face it, it's do or die every
single time out of late Astros getting that salvage win
(00:50):
yesterday in a thrilling fashion if you like offense, especially
in Nick Hernandez appearing in that game as well as
the last two as a matter of fact. So Nick,
it's come down to this. I don't know that anybody
expected not only this final series of the season to
be as meaningful as it is. But I mean, I
don't think that guys like you even maybe expected this
(01:12):
season to be how it's gone this whole time with
the amount of injuries and the amount of guys like
you who have been asked to step up in the
absence of others. What's it been like to be inside
an Astro's clubhouse in twenty twenty five, so.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
We've been here before, twenty twenty three, similar situation. But
the bods are great, got a lot of veterans, you know,
Korea Altuve, so you know, we're just trying to make
something happen here and you know, get our way in
the postseason.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Nick Adam here with you as well, and it's impossible
to to not engage with this part of your storyline here.
You spent your basically your whole baseball life in Texas,
and over the last ten years, the only Texas teams
that you've played for are Dulles, Alvin, the Cougars, Corpus,
(02:13):
sugar Land, the Skeeters, San Antonio, El Paso, the sugar
Land again, the Cowboys, and now the Houston Astros. I mean,
you have to say, yes, nobody loves Houston, nobody loves
Texas more than Nick Hernandez.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Right, yeah, absolutely, Yeah, I've been I've been blessed over
my especially my pro career. Being close to home, you know,
it's easier on the family, easier on the wife and
my son. You know. I played the first game ever
at Constellation High School against Clements. But it's been great.
(02:52):
I love it here. Yeah, getting drafted by the Shrows
was was this is awesome.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well, I know, these games you're pitching and now, like
it gets the a's yesterday are kind of important. But
dullas Clements, that's a big deal.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah. Yeah, back in back in the day for Ben
I s so we had some good baseball talent there.
How much those those are big games? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And being a local guy, I mean, you know, you
you were not only attending games at well then Enron Field.
How much do you remember of going to the Astronome
very young when you were going to games up out there,
and and and I guess I should ask you, since
we always ask everybody about that very building, what do
you think they should do with it?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, that was a very long time ago, so I
don't have too many memories. I just remember the funnel
cake there and I was just a young boy, you know,
just gaining my conscious you know, But that was I mean,
that was a cool stadium. If you look at the
history of it and the owner and the plan for it,
(04:05):
I'm not sure what they should do with it. I
mean they kind of let it go, I feel like,
but it was I mean, that's a cool, cool stadium.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
We're talking to Nick Hernandez here on Sports Talks seven
ninety Astros Reliever. You got the angels for the next
three You said the vibes in the clubhouse were good.
Were the vibes in the clubhouse? I mean, they couldn't
have been good after the Seattle series and then of
course the way that the series started out against the Athletics.
Is it at this point, with everything that's gone on,
(04:38):
with all of the injuries, and with you know, this
final three games, this handful plus, you're probably needing some
help from the likes of the Tigers. Is it kind
of an US against the world mentality? Or are the
guys loose? It's just when you talk about that veteran leadership,
the Correas, the al two Vays of the world, so
many of these guys have been here, done that before,
so it's it's hard to imagine it's anything other than
(05:00):
just going about your business.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
All right, But I mean it's bates of baseball. You know,
you control what you can control. I mean, you you
take care of the small things, and good things happen.
You know. You you hit the ball, catch the ball,
throw the ball well, and good things happen. And that's
all you can really control. Is so many variables in baseball,
especially one hundred and sixty game season with injuries, anything
(05:23):
could happen. And just another way on the other side,
anything could happen deep into the season. Right now. You know,
we make our way, we find her, we find our
way into a wild card game, and you know, we
get hot, and you know the rest is history because
it's very possible. So I mean, we're just going out
there and playing ball, you know, taking care of the
(05:44):
what we know, taking care of our business.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Well, nick I mentioned I was here with you from
Oregon today. The reason is I'm with the Cougars, the
football team. They've got Oregon State. Tonight part of the
radio broadcast, tell us about your year with the Cougar's
closing games for the baseball team.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
That was a that was a very fun year, you know,
being the closer was it was special. I loved it.
I loved it. There I all. I got to spend
a year there, so I would love I would love to,
you know, play there a little longer. But I loved it,
you know, just being Houston. UH. The program is great,
(06:25):
you know, winning, he's got He's grown the program so
much over the years too. When I was there, football
was when we had UH, I forgot who we'd be.
I think it was I think would be OU. We'd
beat Louisville when they had Lamar Jackson. So the football
program was was it was up those two years, so
(06:48):
everything was the whole experience was was great. It's fun.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
It's funny you mentioned that. I was actually talking about
that very game last night about some of the things
that we're going on with the football program then and
where they are right now, and again, I think that
there's a lot of growth with what's happened on the
athletic side, obviously facilities, the football side, and clearly trying
to make sure they keep up with everybody everybody across
the country with that IL money and the way things
go like that. For you, specifically back on the diamond
(07:18):
and as a professional, as you make your major league
debut a couple of seasons ago and you've been up
and down with the first of the Padres and now
the Astros a handful of times, and even this year
a bunch of times with the Big Club and then
back down to the Space Cowboys. What are the things,
maybe even just this year you've tried to work on,
maybe to create more consistency or add life or juice
to any one of your pitches, anything in particularly you've
(07:39):
worked on this past year.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Yeah, a few things, just being more consistent with my
fastball to let my other weapons play. Always had a
pretty good slider, and but the less I get to
use it, and like an a B you know, I
can get them looking for something else really helps and
(08:05):
then I can put away with that slider or the splitter,
which I introduced this year. Learned it I learned at
the end of the year with the Astros Triple A
coach which to help me develop that, and then Murphy
Bill Murphy in the offseason, really we really focus on that.
How I was living in Houston offseason, so I was
(08:25):
able to, you know, go in to Dacon towards the
end and work one on one with with Miller and
Murphy with the splitter, and we kind of bought into
it and I love it now. It's it's been a
slow development with that pitch because even splitter, it's a
big it's a big grip. You know, it's hard to
it can be inconsists at times, but if you can
really hone it down. I think the usage on it,
(08:47):
and like last year was five percent in the MLB,
so hitters will see it often. So I mean, I
love it. It's a it's a good pitch to have
in the arsenal.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Talking to Nick Hernandez, Astro's relief pitcher here on Sports
Talks seven ninety, I have it on good authority speaking
of your coaches over the course of your career, that
as a kid, Steve Sparks was one of your coaches
and that you two are still very friendly today. I
can't imagine that there were many dull moments when you're
growing up being coached by the one and only sparky.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Steve the Man.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I actually learned a lot from Steve just from being
a catcher and travel ball and he would call fishes
from the dugouts, so I kind of got just learned
a lot about pitch sequencing and all that. I still
use a few tricks that he taught me, you know,
to this day. But yeah, he's a man. He takes
me home whenever I don't have my vehicle at the stadium,
(09:46):
when we fly back in, he'll take me home because
he lives in Sugar. I mean, he lives in the
EU scenario around me. So that's awesome. Steve's the man though,
he's got he's got some great stories.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
No, he definitely does. He's got a heck of an
interview acumen in a clubhouse too after a clinched playoff
victory or a division of some sort. So, by the way,
first time that I can remember in forever that the
Astros are not division champions. Is that something anybody's even
talking about at this point?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
You know?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
And Seattle, it felt like for a while there, for
a few weeks, nobody wanted to kind of take command
of this thing, and eventually they got kind of hot,
just as you guys went into a little bit of
a down period. Is that just already put in the
rearview mirror, like as soon as Sunday night Monday morning,
or was there any conversation about that, because it's been
(10:43):
the Astros and everybody else for nearly a decade.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Right when I got drafted in sixteen. It's been just
pure dominance, you know, ever since. But yeah, the norm
has been, you know, winning the division and for the
jorty of the season though we were on top. You know, Mariners,
(11:12):
they got a good team, they played well at the
right time. But you know we're still in this. We
get in that wild card game and upwards, spiral could
easily happen for us, So not too much of a
big deal, but looking to get hot, looking to get
in that thing, and you know, get hot at the
(11:33):
right time, anything can happen.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, Astros looking to put the wild in wild card
if they can do that. Nick, we appreciate the time,
especially from a local product. Good having you, and good
luck over this weekend and hopefully beyond.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
All Right, guys, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Absolutely, Nick Hernandez Astros a relief pitcher. Here on Sports
Talk seven ninety year home for Astros Baseball. We'll switch
gears a little football conversation. It didn't take long, but
fans already complaining about the kickoffs in the NFL. We'll
talk about that next the ag on Sports Talk seven
(12:08):
ninety
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