"Felix Hernandez didn't get much help from his offensively-challenged teammates this past season, but the young Mariners right-hander found plenty of support among voters with the Baseball Writers' Association of America to win his first American League Cy Young Award.

Despite posting just a 13-12 record, Hernandez finished well ahead of the Rays' David Price and Yankees 21-game winner CC Sabathia in the voting results released Thursday by the BBWAA.

Hernandez apparently impressed voters who looked deeper into his dominant season for a 61-101 Mariners club that scored the fewest runs per game of any Major League team since the designated hitter was introduced to the AL in 1973.

"King Felix" received 21 of a possible 28 first-place votes and finished with 167 voting points. Price received four first-place votes and 111 points. Sabathia was named first on three ballots and garnered 102 points. Boston's Jon Lester and the Angels' Jered Weaver finished a distant fourth and fifth, respectively.

Hernandez is the second native of Venezuela to win a Cy Young, joining Johan Santana, who won in 2004 and 2006 while with the Twins.

"It is a very emotional day for me," Hernandez said from Venezuela in a statement issued by the Mariners. "I'm very proud that I was able to accomplish this not only for myself, but for my family, my country and my team. I don't have the words to describe the way I feel."

Hernandez led the AL in ERA (2.27) and innings pitched (249 2/3) and struck out 232 batters, one behind the Angels' Jered Weaver for most in the league. Since the advent of the Cy Young Award in 1956, only 10 pitchers have led their league in those three categories. All 10 won Cy Youngs.

By virtually every statistical category, whether traditional or sabermatic, Hernandez had an incredible season. Yet his won-loss record created an interesting debate for the 28 Cy Young voters, two writers from each AL city.

No starting pitcher had ever won an AL Cy Young Award with fewer than 16 wins. Fernando Valenzuela captured the NL Cy Young Award with a 13-7 record in 1981, but that was a strike-shortened season in which teams played about 110 games. "