Nationals vs. Mets: Hernandez takes the loss in what could be his last game pitching for the Nats

As Livan Hernandez ambled in from the bullpen early Sunday afternoon, the Nationals Park crowd stood and applauded. Hernandez lifted his cap in the air. The 29,671 fans in attendance knew what the day portended for Hernandez, and so did all of the Washington Nationals teammates who call him, simply, Livo.

“I was thinking, ‘There’s a chance this could be the last time Livo pitches in a Nationals uniform,’ ” Ian Desmond said. “For me, it’s a little bit sad.”

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The man who ushered baseball back to Washington may have performed the final act of his Nationals tenure Sunday afternoon. In his last start of the season, a 6-3 loss to the New York Mets, Hernandez allowed six runs in 5¹ / ₃ innings, leaving with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. He doffed his cap once more, maybe for the last time with the Nationals.

The Nationals want to make room for Stephen Strasburg, Tom Milone and the rest of a young pitching rotation as they play their final month. In order to do so, they sent Hernandez to the bench, where he will offer wisdom to young players and his opinion to coaches.

Hernandez has almost reached the end of his $1 million, one-year contract. He wants to return to the Nationals next year, as a long reliever if necessary, and has expressed his modest contract demands to General Manager Mike Rizzo. He is waiting for an answer.

“This city is a great city for sports,” Hernandez said. “You can see the Redskins, they got like 10 years sold out. This team is not far away from making the playoffs. I want to be part of that.

“I can’t answer that question. I can’t say something that’s not in my hands. I know what I want and I asked for something. I can’t do nothing. I got to wait and see what is the answer. It’s not in my hands. But what I’m asking is not too much. It’s not something that you go throw the bank down.”

The contract “negotiations” between Hernandez and the Nationals last season colors Hernandez’s feeling for how this year’s deal should be handled. At the end of August last year, he approached Rizzo in a hotel lobby, passed him a slip of paper with “$1 million” written on it and said, “I play for this.” The statistical Web site FanGraphs.com valued Hernandez’s contributions to the Nationals this year — he compiled a 4.47 ERA in 175¹ / ₃ innings — at roughly $9 million.

“You compare the level of the people who throw 200 innings a year, I think I’m the most cheap guy,” Hernandez said. “It’s more important that you feel happy. Everybody told me, ‘You can make more money.’ It’s not about the money. We’ve got all we need.”

As Hernandez prepared to move aside for youth, finality and uncertainty tinged Sunday. Afterward, two baseballs sat in his locker. One had been saved from Tuesday, when he threw the 50,000th pitch of his career. The other, from Sunday, had scrawled on it, “Last Pitch.”

“It’s tough,” 39-year-old catcher Ivan Rodriguez said. “I’ve been there before, and it’s tough.”

Hernandez retired the first six hitters he faced before the Mets struck for two runs in the third. His start unraveled in the sixth. After Lucas Duda hit a one-out, upper-deck home run to right-center field, Hernandez loaded the bases with three consecutive singles.