Félix Hernández
Félix Abraham Hernández García, nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. A six-time All-Star, Hernández led MLB in wins in 2009, led the American League in earned run average in 2010 and 2014, and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2010. He also played on the Venezuelan national team at two editions of the World Baseball Classic.
On August 15, 2012, Hernández threw the 23rd perfect game in MLB history, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco Field by a 1-0 score. Hernández's perfect game was also the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners franchise history. On April 23, 2016, Hernández claimed the record for most strikeouts by a Mariners pitcher when he struck out Rafael Ortega of the Los Angeles Angels for his 2,163rd strikeout. The previous Mariners record of 2,162 strikeouts had been held by Randy Johnson. Hernández's 146th win, which occurred on May 9, gave him the club record in that category as well.
For a decade, Hernández was one of the best pitchers in baseball. He was also a fan favorite in Seattle. Known for his durability, Hernández started 30 or more games in each of 10 consecutive seasons. Beginning at age 30, he experienced a series of injuries, a decrease in fastball velocity, and an increase in earned run average. After leaving the Mariners in 2019, Hernández signed with the Atlanta Braves and then with the Baltimore Orioles; however, he did not pitch in the major leagues again.
Early life
Hernández was born on April 8, 1986, in Valencia, Venezuela. He was first spotted by Luis Fuenmayor, a part-time Mariners scout who saw him pitching at age 14 in a tournament near Maracaibo. Fuenmayor recommended Hernández to fellow scouts Pedro Avila and Emilio Carrasquel. The Seattle Mariners signed Hernandez as soon as he turned 16, in accordance with MLB rules.After graduating from high school, Hernández agreed to his first professional contract. Mariners director of international operations Bob Engle signed Hernández as an international free agent on July 4, 2002. Hernández received a large signing bonus of $710,000, although he said the Mariners were not the highest bidder. Other teams trying to sign him included the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves, with both teams reportedly offering more money than Seattle.
One reason Hernández chose the Mariners was that his idol, fellow Venezuelan pitcher Freddy García, was pitching for the team at the time. His agent, Wil Polidor, also attributed the decision to the influence of Hernández's father, Félix Sr., a trucking business owner who handled negotiations for his son. Engle and the other Mariners scouts had cultivated a relationship with the family to explain their plans for Félix and earn the family's trust.
Professional career
Seattle Mariners
Minor leagues
In 2003, Hernández pitched to a 7–2 mark for the Class A Everett AquaSox and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He was named the Mariners' minor league pitcher of the year in 2004, a season that also saw him make an appearance in the Futures Game. He started the 2004 season with the Inland Empire 66ers in the California League before being promoted to the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He finished a combined 14–4 with a 2.95 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 149 innings pitched.Hernández was dubbed "King Felix" by the U.S.S. Mariner fan blog in 2003.
At the beginning of 2005, Baseball America listed Hernández as the best pitching prospect in baseball and the second-best overall prospect behind future Hall of Famer Joe Mauer. In 2005, Hernández posted a 9–4 record with a league-leading 2.25 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 88 innings for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He was selected for the Triple-A All-Star Game but did not participate due to injury. He was also named the PCL Rookie of the Year and PCL Pitcher of the Year.
2005 season
Soon after returning from his injury, Hernández was called up to the major leagues by the Mariners. He made his debut on August 4, 2005, in a 3–1 loss in a road game against the Detroit Tigers. At 19 years, 118 days, he was the youngest pitcher to appear in the majors since José Rijo in 1984. Hernández earned his first major league win in his next outing on August 9, pitching eight shutout innings in a 1–0 victory at home over the Minnesota Twins. Over his first several starts, he registered a streak of 112 batters faced before he allowed his first extra-base hit, a double by Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox.In 12 starts, Hernández posted a 4–4 record with 77 strikeouts and a 2.67 ERA. With innings pitched, he exhausted his rookie eligibility. After the season, he became the focus of a disagreement over the possibility of his pitching in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Although Hernández was placed on a provisional roster by the Venezuela national team, the Mariners objected, citing his earlier injury and expressing concern about the stress on his arm from adding this competition to the demands of a full season in the major leagues at such a young age. Their appeal to the WBC technical committee was eventually upheld.
When he arrived in the major leagues, Hernández was given uniform number 59. In 2006, he switched to number 34, the same number Freddy García had worn as a Mariner.
2006 season
For his first full year in the major leagues, Hernández arrived in spring training out of shape and had his preparation for the season interrupted by shin splints. He recovered in time to begin the season in the starting rotation, where he often struggled, but occasionally showed flashes of the potential that had generated such hype. His achievements included a few more personal milestones. He threw his first career complete game on June 11, beating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by a score of 6–2.On August 27, once more against the Angels, Hernández registered his first shutout, needing only 95 pitches and allowing five hits while picking up four strikeouts. The game, which lasted only 1 hour, 51 minutes, was the shortest in the history of Safeco Field.
Concerned about avoiding possible injury to their young pitcher, the Mariners declared that they would limit Hernández to 200 innings pitched, including both the regular season and spring training. This required them to skip his turn in the rotation a couple times as the season went on, after the Mariners fell out of contention. To allow him to make one last start at the end of the year, the team decided to raise the limit to 205. His 191 regular-season innings still led the team, and he finished 12–14 with a 4.52 ERA. His 12 victories and 176 strikeouts also led the Mariner pitching staff. He also threw the fastest fastball of all major league starters in 2006, averaging.
During the offseason, Hernández returned to his parents' home in a modest Valencia neighborhood, while awaiting completion of a house for himself, his girlfriend and daughter. At the team's insistence, he did not pitch in the Venezuelan winter league, unlike his older brother Moises, a pitching prospect trying to crack the majors with the Atlanta Braves. A Seattle Times profile of his life in Venezuela, with its relaxed daily routine, raised eyebrows among those who remained concerned about his conditioning. The team later explained that he had been specifically instructed to rest for two weeks after the season. He then picked up a workout regimen, including an improved diet, daily running, and regular weight training, to lose about 20 pounds. This put Hernández in much better physical condition upon his return to the United States in January, when he began a throwing program in advance of spring training.
2007 season
Based on his improved condition and a successful spring training, the Mariners indicated that in 2007 they would no longer limit the number of innings Hernández could pitch, focusing instead on pitch counts to avoid overuse. Hernández won the honor of being named the team's Opening Day starter. He became the youngest pitcher chosen for this assignment since Dwight Gooden in 1985. He pitched eight innings of a 4–0 victory over the Oakland A's, allowing three hits and two walks while setting a career-high with 12 strikeouts.Hernández thrust himself into the national spotlight with his next start on April 11 against the Boston Red Sox, a much-hyped duel with Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was making his home debut at Fenway Park. Hernández lived up to his end and upstaged the matchup of Matsuzaka pitching to his countryman, Ichiro Suzuki, by hurling no-hit ball for seven innings, finishing with a one-hit, complete-game shutout in a 3–0 victory.
During the first inning of his next start against Minnesota, he was removed from the game because of increasing tightness in his right elbow, especially when throwing his slider. After undergoing an MRI exam that night, he was examined the next day and was diagnosed with a strained flexor-pronator muscle in his forearm and was placed on the disabled list. Two planned returns were put off as the team took a cautious approach in bringing him back, although it opted not to send him to the minor leagues for a rehabilitation assignment. Instead, he was activated on May 15 and kept on a reduced pitch count initially.
Upon his return, Hernández initially battled to regain the form he had flashed in those first two starts of the year. He finished the season with a 14–7 record. His victory over the New York Yankees on September 3, in his first appearance at Yankee Stadium, stopped a nine-game Mariner losing streak but was not enough to keep the team from falling out of playoff contention. His 3.92 ERA for the season was the best among Seattle starters, and he again led the Mariners in strikeouts with 165. He again threw the fastest fastball of all major league starters in 2007, averaging.