Mariners fans rally around Felix Hernandez's case for the Hall of Fame

A little over five years ago, Félix Hernández departed the mound for the final time. The 2019 season had been a rough one for him, marred by a shoulder injury and the end of a decline that had started all the way back in 2017.

Despite only pitching 71 2/3 innings for the Mariners that year and posting a 6.40 ERA, he was sent off to raucous applause and cheering, an emotional conclusion to a stellar career in Seattle.

With six All-Star selections, two ERA titles, and a Cy Young award under his belt, King Félix will now seek to join baseball's elite in achieving the most-prized accolade in the sport: earning a plaque in the Hall of Fame. His case isn't as clear-cut as former teammate Ichiro Suzuki's, but his candidacy has strong statistical backing in addition to an outpouring of qualitatative support from his fans.

Let's start with the numbers. Over the 2,729 2/3 career innings he pitched, all with the Mariners, he posted a 3.42 ERA and a 117 ERA+. He has 169 wins (an even more incredible accomplishment given the quality of his offense during his prime) and 2,524 strikeouts. He leads the franchise in innings pitched, strikeouts, starts (418), and pitching rWAR (49.9).

To non-Mariners fans, he's most well-known for throwing a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 15, 2012, narrowly securing a 1-0 victory. In fact, he is the only pitcher in baseball history to throw a perfect game, immaculate inning, and a four-strikeout inning.

So what's holding him back? The biggest obstacle is his lack of longevity. He retired very young at just 33 years old, just a year older than Luis Castilllo is now. He debuted at 19 which still gave him a solid 15 years of big league work but if he had managed to stick around for a few more years and had tenures similar in length to other names on the ballot like CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, he would likely be a shoo-in.

Furthermore, key counting stat milestones like reaching 3,000 strikeouts or 200 wins are held in very high regard among the voters. For example, Ichiro's inclusion in the 3,000-hit club is likely a major driver behind his current Hall of Fame sentiment. Based on public ballot data, Felix will likely have the 5% vote required to stick around on the ballot, but he's still a far cry from being inducted.

In a best-case scenario, he'll follow in the footsteps of fellow franchise legend Edgar Martínez and get in at the last second. Martinez, being a soft-spoken designated hitter who played in the smallest market on the West Coast for all of his career, struggled to win the support of writers until he received outspoken praise from the likes of Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson, and Mariano Rivera. He was a unique case being one of the first pure DHs to be on the ballot, and once the writers knew how to properly compare him to his peers they finally came around.

Unfortunately for Felix, writers are no strangers to analyzing starting pitchers. Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson were the first to be elected to the hall in 1936 and it has been a steady stream of generational talent since then. For pitchers who fail to accumulate the incredible counting stats of Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Steve Carlton, the other option is to have a dominant peak akin to Sandy Koufax or Catfish Hunter.

How the writers perceive his candidacy remains to be seen since this will be the first time this discussion is seriously had. For now, he'll have to continue relying on what his fans have always done best, support him through to the very end. His results could also sway the future hopes of another franchise great who will soon be eligible himself.