The Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame has a new member. Félix Hernández, the franchise leader in wins and strikeouts, was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony prior to Saturday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles. He is the 11th player in the club's Hall of Fame.
"You guys took a chance on me in 2002, a 16-year-old kid in Venezuela, and you stood by my side ever since," Hernández said while thanking the Mariners during his speech. "To the amazing Seattle fans and the King's Court, you are the greatest fans in the world. Thank you for all the support. I love you guys."
Several Mariners legends were in attendance, as was Adrián Beltré, Hernández's teammate from 2005-09 (and a friendly rival thereafter) and one of his best friends. They shared an embrace and a special moment on the field:
Now 37, King Félix made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old in 2005 and within three years he was one of the best pitchers in the game. He was a six-time All-Star who won the 2010 AL Cy Young award, and finished second in the voting in 2009-14. During his six-year peak from 2009-14, Hernández pitched to a 2.73 ERA and averaged 227.4 innings and 226.3 strikeouts per season.
In parts of 15 seasons spent entirely with the Mariners, Hernández went 169-136 and posted a 3.42 ERA. He is Seattle's all-time leader in wins (169), strikeouts (2,524), innings (2,729 2/3), starts (418), and pitching WAR (49.9), among other categories. Hernández is also the all-time wins leader among Venezuelan-born pitchers.
On Aug. 15, 2012, Hernández threw the 23rd perfect game in baseball history and the only perfect game in Mariners history. It was the most recent perfect game in baseball until New York Yankees righty Domingo Germán threw a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics on June 28 of this season.
Alas and alack, baseball fans never got to see Hernández take the mound in the postseason. His career was right in the middle of the team's 21-year postseason drought. Hernández signed minor league contracts with the Atlanta Braves and Orioles late in his career, though he never appeared in a game for either team.
Hernández joins Jay Buhner, Alvin Davis, Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, Jamie Moyer, Dave Niehaus, Lou Piniella, Ichiro Suzuki and Dan Wilson in the Mariners Hall of Fame. Piniella managed the club from 1992-2002 and Niehaus was the team's longtime broadcaster. The rest went in as players.
