Two things come to mind when Felix Hernandez has pitched for the Mariners this summer. Firstly, he is really a King of Pitching and secondly, there is no question that Hernandez should win his second Cy Young award this year.
That’s how spectacular he has been. When Hernandez takes the mound, it is almost a given that the Mariners will win the game if they have consistent offense that night. In fact, I believe Hernandez would have been a twenty game winner the last two years if it weren’t for the Mariners abysmal offense.
He is the ultimate workhorse and the ultimate competitor. Not many pitchers would want to stay in Seattle with his talent level and the Mariners lack of run production. However, Felix Hernandez will be the first one to tell you that he loves Seattle. He is loved in Seattle, when he starts Mariner fans call it ‘Happy Felix Day”. For home starts, a section is reserved for fans that buy a yellow T-shirt and they’ll become a part of “Kings Court”. The support in Seattle is unbelievable and his numbers are even more remarkable. He has a 13-5 record and a 2.43 ERA. Since his last loss on June 12thin Seattle against the San Diego Padres, He has a 9-0 record with a 1.40 ERA. His last loss to an American League team came on May 26th in Seattle against the Angels.
Last night when Hernandez picked up the complete game shout out in Minnesota. It became his third complete game of the month. It shouldn’t come as a surprise but all three complete games have been 1-0 this month including his perfect game on August 15th. Most pitchers after they throw a perfect game have a little bit of a hangover pitching wise. Not the King, Felix has picked up right where he left off before his perfect game. Since his perfect game, he has a 2-0 record with a 0.62 ERA. He also has one of the best breaking balls in the game of baseball.
To me, Felix is the best pitcher in Mariners history. The only player that comes close is Randy Johnson. I put Felix ahead of Johnson because of the age that Felix is pitching with the Mariners compared to when Johnson was a Mariner. In addition, Felix has a 3.14 ERA with Seattle; In contrast, Johnson had a 3.42 ERA during his time in Seattle.
As Felix goes for his second Cy Young of his career in his final few starts of the season, he will be as hungry as he’s ever been. Felix has been locked in this summer pitching a gem time after time. I believe Felix is the Cy Young favorite, if he doesn’t win he’ll be robbed just like all the times he was robbed of a win this year and was stuck with a no decision because of the Mariners lack of run support.
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