Yanked from the rotation on June 8, Hernandez said he kept his same demeanor and warmup plan while toiling in the right-field bullpen in his new role.
"He needed to go as long as he could," Hinch said. "And he could have gone longer."
Hernandez, in his first relief appearance this season and only his fourth in the last two seasons, tossed four scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
It was the longest relief appearance of his career and tied Asher Wojciechowski for the longest on the club.
Pitching to an aggressive Mariners lineup looking to build on the 8-0 lead it had already built through the first three innings, Hernandez relied on his changeup and mid-80s slider to cause early contact.