Seattle Mariners Season Review: Top 5 Moments in April

1. The King Sets The Mariners All-time Strikeout Record- April 23rd

Records are meant to broken, and hopefully they are broken by people who deserve to hold them. Felix Hernandez is the most deserving man to hold any Mariners pitching record. So, when he finally surpassed Randy Johnson for the most K’s in franchise history, it was a special moment.

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Even if you’re not a fan of baseball, most people admire hard work. Over the past twelve seasons no player has worked harder on the Mariners than the King. Hernandez worked everyday to be the best he can be, and despite his struggles the last two seasons, he always put in a solid effort.

He only needed one strikeout on the 23rd to sit atop the all-time strikeout list. The second batter for the Los Angeles Angels was Rafael Ortega. On a 2-2 count, Hernandez didn’t go to his fastball or his devastating curve ball. He used his eighty-eight MPH change-up to fool Ortega.

The mark was now set a 2,136. Felix had finally done it. The ball was immediately thrown to the Mariners dugout where it was preserved. Someday that ball could end up in Cooperstown with his plaque, but it will definitely be one of Hernandez’s most prized possessions.

Felix would go onto to lose the game versus the Angels that day, but his setting of the franchise mark was by far the major highlight of the game and the month of April. No one has earned the number one spot on this countdown more than the number one Mariners strikeout artist, Felix Hernandez.