Mariners Analysis: Felix Hernandez's Top 5 Performances

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Jun 17, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) reacts after getting the final out of the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

#2- The King K’s a Career High Against Tampa Rays – June 8th, 2014

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2014 was a year of near misses for Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners. The team fought its way through the long 162-game season only to come up 1 game short of grabbing the final Ward Card spot (which ended up going to the Oakland Athletics). Worse yet, Hernandez was not handed his 2nd Cy Young by a measly 10 votes despite having arguably his best season as a professional- instead the award went to the Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians. However much was lost that year, Felix won over much of the baseball world with his consistently exceptional performances, none better than his 15 strikeout spectacle against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Down at Tropicana Field in Tampa Florida, Hernandez was feeling it. He had already pitched a perfect game versus the Rays in 2012, but still wasn’t satisfied, he wanted to inflict more Hernandez heat on his favorite foes. The four hits that were scattered against Felix could do no harm on a day where, in the first inning he started by mowing down 2 batters; a precursor of what was to come.

I thought Felix had better stuff today than when he was perfect against us in 2012.
— Joe Maddon (@MaddHalos) June 8, 2014

Hernandez went on to strike out the side not once, or twice, but three times during his 7 innings of work. The King earned him one of the most unlikely no decisions in baseball history, but the Mariners won thankfully did want he game thanks to a late-inning rally. Even the Rays’ manager at the time, Joe Madden, tweeted out that this was a new level of Felix that he didn’t even see during “El Perfecto”. His ability to strike out more than half of the batters he faced brought his strikeout total to 1,809 and his win total stayed put at 118.

Next: El Perfecto