Félix Hernández
From BR Bullpen
Félix Abraham Hernández (King Felix)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 235 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Félix Hernández is the ace of the Seattle Mariners; he is the younger brother of minor leaguer Moises Hernández.
Hernandez was signed by scout Emilio Carresquel for the Mariners in July 2002. He made his pro debut the next summer.
In 2005, when he made his debut with the Mariners, he was the youngest player in the major leagues. On August 9 of that year he became first teenager since 1984 to win a game. Two teenagers actually won games in 1984: Dwight Gooden and Jose Rijo.
On June 23, 2008, he hit a grand slam off Johan Santana of the New York Mets. It was the first grand slam by an American League pitcher since Steve Dunning hit one on May 11, 1971, and the first home run of any kind by a Mariners pitcher since the team began play in 1977.
On August 25, 2010, Hernández struck out David Ortiz for his 1,000th career whiff. At age 24, he became the fourth-youngest hurler to that figure, following Bob Feller (22), Bert Blyleven (23) and Dwight Gooden (23). At the end of the year, he was voted as recipient of the 2010 American League Cy Young Award, over David Price and CC Sabathia, even though his won-loss record of 13-12 was unusually poor for a Cy Young recipient. Voters saw beyond these figures to note his dominating ERA and excellent strikeout rate while pitching for a last-place team.
Cashing in on his new-found fame, Hernandez was the star of a very popular commercial for the Mariners before the 2011 season, in which he appealed to new manager Eric Wedge to pitch more often; after Wedge's refusal, he appears as "Larry Bernandez", sporting a mullet, thick sideburns and glasses, pretending he is someone else. The alter ego took on a life of its own, and on August 27th, the Mariners held a special "Larry Bernandez night", when a bobblehead doll of the fictional pitcher was given out to fans, and Hernandez came out in costume to throw the ceremonial first pitch.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time AL All-Star (2009 & 2011)
- 2010 AL Cy Young Award
- AL Wins Leader (2009)
- AL Winning Percentage Leader (2009)
- AL ERA Leader (2010)
- AL Innings Pitched Leader (2010)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2009)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (2008-2011)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 3 (2009-2011)
| AL Cy Young Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Zack Greinke | Felix Hernandez | Justin Verlander |
