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Felix Hernandez News & Rumors

Mariners' Felix Hernandez survives line drive but takes loss in final start of season
September 25
Seattle Times
 
"Last year, the Mariners skipped Felix Hernandez's final scheduled start in a Cy Young Award-winning season. King Felix probably wishes the team had done the same Saturday for his final start of 2011. He was spared serious injury when the Texas Rangers' Michael Young literally knocked Hernandez out of the game with a fourth-inning line drive off his right forearm. While Seattle was losing 7-3, Hernandez had his right arm wrapped from his palm nearly to his elbow. "It's OK. That was scary, but nothing's broke," he said. "I was trying to catch (the ball). I've been hit before, but not in my arm. Damn, it hurt!""
Felix hit on forearm with liner, but no fracture
September 25
MLB.com
 
"With a cast encircling his prized pitching arm to hold down the swelling on a severely bruised right forearm, Mariners ace Felix Hernandez didn't look like a guy who'd be ready for his next start. But fortunately for "The King," his next outing isn't scheduled until the Mariners regroup next year for Spring Training in Arizona. Hernandez took a wicked line drive by Rangers third baseman Michael Young off his arm in the fourth inning of Saturday's 7-3 loss and was immediately hustled off the field by trainers, with X-rays showing no fractures."
Angels run into King Felix, slide back in AL West
September 7
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"With roughly three weeks left in the playoff race, Torii Hunter realizes every loss stings the Los Angeles Angels. This defeat only hurt a bit less because of the brilliance of the pitcher who delivered it. Felix Hernandez pitched eight innings of four-hit ball to win at Angel Stadium for the first time since 2006, and the Seattle Mariners snapped a five-game skid with a 2-1 victory over the Angels on Tuesday night. Alberto Callaspo drove in an unearned run for the Angels, who committed four errors and dropped 3½ games behind Texas in the AL West standings. The loss was just the Angels' second at home since Aug. 17. The Rangers pounded Tampa Bay 8-0 earlier Tuesday. Los Angeles was a"
Hernandez, Mariners edged 3-2 by Tampa Bay
August 20
Seattle Times
 
"It was apparent early that Felix Hernandez was having one of those nights on Friday when anything was possible - even a no-hitter. Mariners manager Eric Wedge said his stuff was "electric." Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon raved about Hernandez's "Bugs Bunny changeup - it was diving off the table." Hernandez himself said with a rueful smile, "It was going to be something special. I had a feeling." In the end, however, it was just another agonizing loss for Hernandez and the Mariners, who fell 3-2 to the Rays at Tropicana Field. One minute, Hernandez was sailing into the eighth inning, working on a one-hitter that could have been a no-no. The next, he was watching the Rays bunch five hits in"
Rays' rally late to beat Felix Hernandez
August 20
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"Seattle manager Eric Wedge felt Felix Hernandez had electric stuff. And even that wasn't enough for the tough-luck ace. Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist each had run-scoring singles with two outs during the eighth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat Hernandez and the Mariners 3-2 on Friday night. "Felix was outstanding," Wedge said. "He had great stuff. He was in control of the ballgame. We gave it to them there in the eighth." Hernandez (11-11) took a one-hitter in the eighth before the Rays' put together the late rally. An out after pinch-hitter Sam Fuld lined an one-out, opposite-field single to left, Johnny Damon had an infield single before Longoria and Zobrist had consecutive RBI hits to"
Wade Davis eager to take mound for Tampa Bay Rays against Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez
August 19
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Upset to be bumped from his last start, RHP Wade Davis is so eager to get back on the mound he has no pause about being matched up tonight against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez. He welcomes it, actually. "Is he pitching? Good. It's nice. I like that," Davis said. "You have to go out there with your best stuff. As soon as you give up a run or two, you many not win. You may not even keep your team in the game. So that's how you've got to treat it. I like when you're facing guys like him." Davis should have dual sources of motivation. He was unhappy, to put it politely, when the Rays decided after Sunday's rainout with the Yankees to push him back from pitching in Boston — though using James"
Felix Hernandez pitches great, but gets no run support
August 8
Seattle Times
 
"The Mariners still haven't won a series against any AL team other than Oakland in more than two months. Felix Hernandez gave it his best today -- taking a one-hitter into the seventh -- but the Mariners just could not find their bats and take a 2-1 loss. Seattle put five guys who still qualify for rookie status into today's lineup. They actually outperformed the vets, but still, there wasn't much firepower all around. "We've got a lot of young position players up here,'' Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "We've got to keep throwing them out there, have them keep learning on the job and keep working to get better. "You look at where we were Opening Day and some of the guys we were counting"
Felix Hernandez shows why he is untradeable
July 28
New York Daily News
 
"Felix Hernandez normally heads straight to the clubhouse once he is removed from a game. He had 17 reasons why he chose to remain in the visiting dugout until the final out of the Mariners' 9-2 victory over the Yankees at the Stadium. "That was the first time I did that, because I wanted this game so bad," King Felix said after finally halting Seattle's franchise record 17-game losing streak. "It means a lot, man. Seventeen losses... But I knew I just had to pitch my game and that's what I did." Hernandez's game makes him precisely the type of frontline starter the Yankees or any contending team would love to acquire before Sunday's non-waiver trading deadline. But the Mariners insist"
GM: M's not trading Felix Hernandez
July 27
ESPN.com
 
"The Yankees or any team could basically offer their whole farm system and Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said he will not trade reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez by this Sunday's trade deadline. "You can say nine guys," Zduriencik told ESPNNewYork.com. "You could say 12 guys. What does it matter? The deal is we have a guy who we relish. We want to get to a point where we are competitive and as good as any club in baseball. To get to that point, you have to have top-of-the-rotation starters. We've got it. Your best asset, you ought to keep, and that is what we intend to do." The fact that the Mariners entered Tuesday night's game at Yankee"
King Felix not likely to be dealt
July 26
New York Post
 
"As the Yankees searched for starting pitching with Sunday's non-waiver trade deadline approaching, the dream solution to their rotation woes dressed in the opposing clubhouse yesterday. But when he was asked before last night's game if he thought there was any chance he'd be dealt by the trade deadline, Seattle right-hander Felix Hernandez quickly summed up his thoughts on the matter. "No," he said. Already one of the best pitchers in baseball at 25, and under contract for the next three years, Hernandez is one of the most valuable commodities in baseball, making it highly unlikely the Mariners would even consider dealing him. But even Hernandez, who is 8-9 with a 3.47 ERA, hasn't been"
Nothing, not even Felix, can stop the Mariners' bleeding
July 23
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"The Seattle Mariners' best hope to snap their abhorrent stretch of losses took the mound Friday night at Fenway Park, trying to do what all staff aces do - stop the losing streak. Felix Hernandez was unbeaten in five previous starts in Fenway and dominant against the Boston Red Sox for most of his career. He was prepared to put a tourniquet on the gaping wound on the Mariners' recent free fall. But even the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner couldn't find a way to stop the bleeding as the Mariners lost their 13th straight game - 7-4, to the Red Sox. The Mariners (43-56) can tie the franchise record of 14 consecutive losses today when they face All-Star right-hander Josh Beckett and"
Mariners not budging on King Felix
July 19
Foxsports.com
 
"You've heard this before, but it bears repeating with the non-waiver deadline just 12 days away. The Mariners aren't trading right-hander Felix Hernandez. "Felix is part of this organization. We've signed him long-term. It's great to look at our rotation and see Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda and the rest of the guys we have," Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said Tuesday morning."
Felix Hernandez looks the part, but won't play in All-Star Game
July 12
Seattle Times
 
"In 2010, the year he won the Cy Young Award, Felix Hernandez somehow didn't make the All-Star team. The year after, he has made the All-Star team, but he can't pitch in the game. Hernandez is one of several aces ineligible by virtue of the MLB rule disqualifying any starters who pitched Sunday. That contingency has knocked out Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, James Shields, Cole Hamels and Matt Cain, in addition to Hernandez. But Hernandez isn't going to let that little detail detract him from an enjoyable stint in Phoenix. He'll take part in all the festivities and even suit up for the game and watch from the AL dugout Tuesday. "It's not going to be strange," he said. "I'm going to enjoy"
Hernandez, League earn trips to Arizona
July 4
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"When the Major League All-Star rosters were released Sunday, Seattle starting pitcher Felix Hernandez and closer Brandon League were on the American League team. Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star, failed to make the team for the first time in his career. The game will be played July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix. Hernandez found out he made the team Sunday morning when he received a congratulatory text message. "I told my wife, I think we're going to Arizona," the 25-year-old said. "She was more excited than me." Making his second All-Star Game appearance, Hernandez (8-7, 3.35 ERA) said he was looking forward to the home run derby - he's backing Toronto's Jose Bautista in the"
Hernandez, League named All-Stars
July 4
Seattle Times
 
"The Mariners placed pitchers Felix Hernandez and Brandon League on the American League All-Star team, but the omission of two others will no doubt stimulate conversation this week. Hernandez made it for a second time, but he likely won't be able to pitch. He's scheduled to start Sunday in the last game before the break, and the rules prohibit those starters from appearing two days later as a precaution against arm injuries. "Maybe he can go there and pitch for me," Hernandez joked, referring to right-handed rookie teammate Michael Pineda, who was snubbed despite a 7-5 record and 2.65 earned-run average, sixth best in the American League. Also likely to sit home is Ichiro for the first time"
Felix Hernandez, Brandon League named to AL All-Star team, Ichiro left off
July 3
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"The rosters for the 2011 All-Star game were announced and the Mariners had two players named to the squad that will be managed by Ron Washington. But neither of the players were Ichiro Suzuki. The 10-time all-star outfielder failed to make the team. Instead, two pitchers - Felix Hernandez and Brandon League will be going to Phoenix. Although per MLB rules, Felix likely won't be able to pitch since he's scheduled to start that Sunday before the game. And Mariners manager Eric Wedge said that he won't be adjusting his starting rotation."
Felix can't contain Phillies
June 19
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"It's never a good idea to place October importance upon June baseball, although the Seattle Mariners had the chance Saturday night to see what pitting their ace against the National League's best might look like. It was great baseball - and a loss. The Philadelphia Phillies relentlessly pressured Felix Hernandez, dominated the Mariners' offense and scored four runs in the last three innings to beat Seattle, 5-1. With a Safeco Field crowd of 35,829 on hand, there was a postseason feel much of the night - strange, to be sure, for a stadium that hasn't seen a playoff game since 2001. The Mariners started their ace, and it wasn't that Hernandez didn't have his best. It was a matter of the"
Gritty outing for Felix Hernandez
June 13
Seattle Times
 
"Felix Hernandez couldn't throw his trademark sinker where he wanted and looked like he would be out of the game early. But Hernandez toughened up when he had to. And in one of his grittier performances as a Mariner, he wound up tossing eight innings of three-run ball against a Detroit Tigers lineup as hot as any in baseball. "Today was hard," he said. "I got in a lot of trouble and didn't have good command. But I found a way to throw eight innings and win the game." Hernandez, who tied a season high with five walks, made an adjustment, used his four-seam fastball more and saw his curveball find new life. He struck out six, but the key to his going deep was getting the Tigers to put the"
Mariners hit a whole bunch, Hernandez stellar in 8-2 romp over Rays
June 3
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"Felix Hernandez waited a long time for this. No, really. He was in the dugout for quite a while as the Seattle Mariners beat the hell out of Tampa Bay starter James Shields, hitting homers and scoring runs and looking like a real, live Major League offense in the second inning of Thursday's 8-2 win at Safeco Field. When the onslaught ended, the Mariners had scored five runs on four hits, two of them homers, both of which traveled impressively long distances before clanking off the seats in the right field bleachers. With Hernandez on the mound, that meant the game was already decided. And that his seven-inning, 11-strikeout performance seemed ho-hum in comparison to the support his offense"
Yankees fans can dream about Felix Hernandez in pinstripes, but it won't happen anytime soon
May 29
New York Daily News
 columnist Mark Feinsand
"The perfect pitcher. That's how Mark Teixeira described Felix Hernandez on Friday night, high praise from a hitter who has seen his share of pitchers over the past nine seasons. As the calendar turns to June this week and then July, there will be whispers and rumors about the Yankees trying to pry King Felix away from the Mariners. Ignore them. After all, if the Mariners are in possession of the perfect pitcher - a 25-year-old perfect pitcher, for that matter - what possible reason would they have to deal him? Hernandez was far from perfect Saturday night, giving up four runs on six hits and five walks in his seven-inning no-decision against the Yankees. He gave up home runs to Teixeira"
Seattle's Felix Hernandez king of the hill
May 28
Bergen Record
 
"King of the hill

Mark Teixeira couldn't have given a higher compliment to Seattle's Felix Hernandez, who starts against the Yankees tonight. "To me, he's the perfect pitcher," Teixeira said. "You have a guy who throws hard, his ball moves, he can hit the corner with three different pitches, and his breaking stuff is so good that, you know, you just hope he makes a mistake." King Felix hasn't slipped up much against Teixeira and company. In his last four starts against the Yankees, the right-hander is 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA. That's two earned runs in 35 innings, with three complete games dating to Sept. 18, 2009. "It seems like whenever we matched up against him last year, he was"

Winning fires up Felix Hernandez
May 23
Seattle Times
 
"Felix Hernandez said there's no comparison between how it feels to pitch for this year's Mariners squad versus last season's, when it seemed he had to carry the team at every turn. "It's a lot different," Hernandez said. "It's way different than last year. "We've played better baseball and we've been doing the little things. It's unbelievable the way we've been playing the last two weeks." Hernandez improved to 5-4 and lowered his earned-run average to 3.01 with a 13-strikeout performance Sunday. That matched the career high for strikeouts Hernandez set last Aug. 10 against Oakland during a Cy Young Award campaign that was a rare bright spot amid 101 losses and the dismantling of the"
Felix Hernandez takes the loss as Mariners' offense chills
May 18
Seattle Times
 
"The sight of Franklin Gutierrez out in center field again will come none too soon for a Mariners squad needing more offense from someplace. That offense was nonexistent Tuesday night in a 2-1 loss to a Minnesota Twins team that could barely manage a pulse of its own. But two first inning walks by Felix Hernandez allowed the Twins all the runs they'd need when Michael Cuddyer delivered a two-out single to score both runners. Seattle went nowhere against southpaw Francisco Liriano during his seven innings, mustering just three hits all night versus the Twins starter and Minnesota's bullpen while striking out 12 times total. After the game, the Mariners announced that pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen"
Hernandez throws eight strong, but Liriano too much for M's in 2-1 loss
May 18
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"Miguel Olivo barreled into second base with a feet-first slide, certain he'd beaten a throw from Minnesota third baseman Danny Valencia with one out in a one-run game in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday. But he was called out. And both Olivo and Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge's arguments were as futile as Seattle's bats against Twins starter Francisco Liriano in this 2-1 loss at Safeco Field, where 16,015 saw yet another brilliant start by Felix Hernandez go to waste behind a meager offensive effort. Wedge, perhaps mercifully, was ejected by second base umpire Jerry Meals, the first heave-ho of Wedge's Seattle career. Which means he wasn't around to watch as Adam Kennedy grounded"
Felix Hernandez shaky as Mariners lose fourth straight
May 12
Seattle Times
 
"Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones, who has systematically destroyed his old team the past two nights, insisted that he had no grudge to settle with Seattle. "I don't care about playing the Mariners any more," Jones said after his three hits, including a key two-run triple off Felix Hernandez in the fifth, helped lead his Orioles past the M's, 4-2, at Camden Yards on Wednesday. "The only thing that's cool is to still see Ichiro, and some of the boys that are my friends that get called up, like Mike Wilson, that I played with. Besides that, they're another team now." Ah, but for starting pitcher Chris Tillman, the other key element in the ill-fated Erik Bedard trade from 2008 who was in action"
Felix pitches well, but that's not enough
May 2
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Felix Hernandez had a career record of 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four starts at Fenway Park, including a pair of shutouts. So if anyone would seem to be a sure bet to secure the Mariners' sixth win in a row and a rare sweep of a road trip, it would be Hernandez pitching in a place that brings out the best in him. And for seven innings, he gave the Mariners all he could. But it wasn't enough. He left with the game tied and got a no-decision Sunday. Was it as dominant as previous Fenway outings? No. But it was still pretty good. Hernandez pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out 10 and walking one. "They made him work early, but he took control of the"
Felix Hernandez just toying with his suitors
April 24
Bergen Record
 columnist Bob Klapisch
"The Yankees were one of many teams paying attention to Felix Hernandez's miniature classic against the A's on Thursday night - 7 2/3 shutout innings, four hits, eight strikeouts and a million reasons to beg GM Jack Zduriencik to change his mind about trading the American League's best pitcher. Of course, the Bombers aren't alone in this fantasy. Every team in baseball would love to have King Felix, especially at the shockingly affordable $10 million he's earning this year. Zduriencik hears from all of them, including the Yankees, as they continue to monitor Seattle's progress - or lack thereof. That's the industry's best hope of a breakthrough: the Mariners' continuing slide into oblivion"
Mariners 1, A's 0: Felix returns to being Felix
April 22
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Got the postgame blog up a little late after wanting to get back to Tacoma at a reasonable hour. If you missed the game, here's what you need to know: Felix Hernandez is really good. Felix Hernandez was really good on Thursday night against the A's at Safeco Field. Felix Hernandez says he's going to be really good in the future. "From now on, that's the way I'm going to pitch all my games," he said. The Mariners wouldn't have a problem with that. Hernandez turned in a brilliant outing on Thursday at Safeco Field, pitching 72/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out a season-high eight hitters and walking three, "He was special tonight," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "His"
The King's back: Felix dominates in 1st home win of the season
April 22
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"Adam Kennedy hit a home run over the right field fence. Also, the career second baseman played first base as if he'd been there his entire life. Felix Hernandez, as has become customary around these parts, handled most of the rest. The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics will never be mistaken for offensive juggernauts. And both squads have capable pitching staffs, so Thursday's 1-0 win for Seattle was only surprising in that the Mariners won it. Should you be shocked by A's starter Brandon McCarthy, who threw a complete game and held the Mariners to just one run on four hits? Probably not. McCarthy entered the game with a 2.45 ERA in X starts, and the Mariners had four regulars in"
Mariners' Felix Hernandez looks like ace in final spring outing
March 28
Seattle Times
 
"Two fingers held out by Felix Hernandez after his final spring-training tuneup were the celebratory equivalent of a fist-pump. Hernandez, who had been mowing down a minor-league intrasquad team of mostly Class AA hitters for seven innings Sunday morning, was signaling the dugout that he wanted to face two more batters. He needed to get some work in from the stretch position, and had so dominated the opposing hitters that just four of them had reached base the entire contest. "I wanted to feel comfortable from the stretch, so I told them I need two more hitters and I want a runner on first," Hernandez said afterward. That was about the only way the hapless minor-leaguers could reach base"
Felix ready; M's not far behind
March 23
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Felix Hernandez is ready for the season - and thinks the Seattle Mariners are close behind him. "After I pitch last time, I said I needed one good game to be ready," Hernandez said Tuesday. "Today was good. Today was it. I'm ready." Against the Chicago White Sox, Hernandez pitched five innings, allowed two runs but didn't walk a batter and struck out five - including Adam Dunn on a changeup that had him muttering. "How the (expletive) am I supposed to hit that (expletive) pitch?" Dunn said, with more puzzlement than anger. Manager Eric Wedge said it wasn't an easy game, which he liked. "Felix had to work in the early innings, and he did and got better as he went on," Wedge said. "He had"
Latest spring outing makes Felix unhappy
March 18
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Felix Hernandez didn't like the green baseball cap Major League Baseball requires all its players to wear on St. Patrick's Day - and he wasn't crazy about his pitching, either. "I threw everything tonight, and they hit it all hard," the Seattle ace said. "I got my work in, but 80 pitches in four innings? That's not good. And six runs? That's terrible." The final line on Hernandez Thursday was ugly: four innings, nine hits, six runs - three earned - two walks, a wild pitch and seven strikeouts. For any good thing you might mention, Felix countered. Seven strikeouts? "Yeah, but six runs!" he said. How about this? In the first inning, the Kansas City Royals had runners on second and third"
One of those nights for Felix Hernandez
March 18
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Maybe it was that garish green cap MLB forced him to wear, or perhaps it was the mid-spring blahs - Felix Hernandez is having a tough night against Kansas City. On nights like this - the Seattle Mariners were down 6-1 when Felix left after four innings and had one hit - it's hard to think the Mariners are more than, say, a 65-win team in 2011. Behind Felix, they made three errors, two that cost runs, and screwed up a run down play that allowed another run to score without a throw. Seattle's only offense? Long home run by reserve outfielder Ryan Langerhans, hit to straightaway center. Mr. Hernandez? He allowed nine hits, used 80 pitches, allowed six runs - three earned - two walks and had"
Details of Felix Hernandez's no-trade clause
March 16
Foxsports.com
 
"File this one away for July. Felix Hernandez has a 10-team no-trade clause in his contract with the Seattle Mariners. During this season, the right-hander will be able to block deals to the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and two unknown teams, a major-league source said. We shouldn't infer from that list that Hernandez wants to avoid large-market clubs. Rather, astute players (and agents) will often protect against trades to high-revenue teams, because those clubs (a) are most likely to be interested in acquiring expensive players and (b) have the wherewithal to offer financial"
Felix Hernandez goes undercover in 2011 Mariners ads
March 16
Seattle Times
 
"The first mound visit between Mariners ace Felix Hernandez and his new manager is taking time to get right. Mariners field boss Eric Wedge has made it clear to Hernandez that since he pitched the previous night, he can't throw again in that day's game and has to head back to the dugout. Hernandez gets the message, but for some reason, he's styled his hair like an Elvis wannabe and insists on calling himself "Larry." "And, cut!" shouts director Ron Gross. "Felix, remember — pregnant pause. You've got to take that pregnant pause." Hernandez nods his approval, having gotten used to the corrections and retakes that are part of filming the biggest of a series of annual Mariners television"
Felix Hernandez impresses in background
March 13
Seattle Times
 
"In the late morning, on a back field, before a tiny crowd, an enthralling bit of spring-training theater was taking place on Saturday. The focus, as it so often is with the Mariners, was on Felix Hernandez. Rather than let him face the A's in the regularly scheduled game, the Mariners opted to have Hernandez get his work in by pitching in an informal intrasquad affair against some of the organization's minor-leaguers. The theory was to not let the A's, their opening day-opponent April 1, get too much of a handle on Hernandez. Though as The King mused logically afterward, "I don't know why. They've seen me for seven years already." What occurred instead was a kick, as these kind of games so"
Felix Hernandez throws 67 pitches in simulated game
March 13
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Fans who came to the complex early got a treat and saw the reigning Cy Young winner throw a simulated game instead of pitching in today's Cactus League game against the A's. Having throwing against the A's in his previous start, the Mariners decided they would have Hernandez throw against a group of their own players rather than face Oakland again. Would Oakland learn that much about Hernandez? They'd learn what they already know. He's good. Hernandez didn't buy the logic that it would somehow help the A's to see him early. "They've seen me for seven years already," he said smiling. Besides, the Hernandez in spring training is vastly different than the Hernandez in the regular season. The"
Hernandez dodges liner
March 8
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Felix Hernandez wanted nothing huge Monday, just three innings, a long look at his sinker, a successful first game of the spring. The Seattle Mariners ace got most of it – though he almost didn't survive facing his first hitter. Oakland's David DeJesus lined a pitch up the middle about head high, and Hernandez made the smart play and got out of the way, if barely. "I thought, 'Oh, man, the first game?' I got out of the way," Felix said. "Glad it didn't clip him," manager Erik Wedge deadpanned. Hernandez wasn't particularly sharp, but he was effective. Scheduled to throw three innings, he lasted 22/3 instead, being lifted by his manager after throwing 53 pitches. The Mariners ended up"
Felix ready to go after simulated game
March 4
MLB.com
 
"Felix Hernandez normally is the King of all things at Mariners camp, but the big man ran into a bigger man on Thursday. Randy Johnson took time off from throwing snowballs to visit his former team, getting a chance to watch a simulated game by the American League's reigning Cy Young Award winner in the process. Words of wisdom from the Big Unit before Hernandez took the field to throw his final warmup work prior to making his first Cactus League start next Monday? "He told me I needed four more Cy Youngs," Hernandez said. "And 4,000 strikeouts just to get him." And Felix's response? "I told him, 'I'll be there. Don't worry,'" Hernandez said with a laugh."
Mariners want Felix ready for April with eye on September
February 27
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"The most recognizable faces of the Seattle Mariners - from Icihro Suzuki to Franklin Gutierrez - were in Peoria Stadium for the annual Fanfest. Briefly, so was the man most fans wanted to see - American League Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez. Hernandez signed autographs, then was carted to the practice fields, where he stretched and then threw live batting practice to hitters. Few people knew where to find him Saturday, and after throwing he went directly to the clubhouse for ice. "We're making him take it slow, and he understands," pitching coach Carl Willis said. "It's a lot like last September, when he didn't make his final start. He understood. He didn't like it, but he"
Felix's new cut takes a name: The Fe-hawk
February 15
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Felix Hernandez was in Venezuela, about to come to spring training, and wanted his haircut to be something different. It is. The cut kept his hair full in front, those close cropped but, down the back of his head and neck, shaved down to a single strip of hair. What was the cut called? "A fade mohawk?" Felix asked. Someone said maybe it was a 'faux mohawk,' and Hernandez nodded, agreeing with that description to. Then someone suggested the Fe-hawk, and that megawatt smile dazzled. "I like the sound of that, the fe-hawk," said the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner. Asked about non-hair matters, Felix talked about the return of Erik Bedard, who had more lucrative offers than the"
Frightening question: Can Felix Hernandez get even better?
January 28
Seattle Times
 columnist Jerry Brewer
"Felix Hernandez was perplexed. He hadn't been this stumped since, well, who can remember? The quandary: a question about how he can improve upon his Cy Young-winning 2010 season, or even his near-Cy 2009 campaign. Hernandez furled an eyebrow and thought. And thought. And thought. "Uh, I don't know yet," he said. Then he tried to say the right thing, uttering the phrase "I can get better at a lot of things" as if his tongue were on autopilot. Then he thought some more. And thought. And thought. "Uh, hmmm, I don't know," he concluded. "Good question." Come to think of it, uh, hmmm, why should he change anything? He's 24 and reigns as the best pitcher in the American League. He has been That"
Mariners GM not interested in trading AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez, so dream on, Yankees fans
December 23
New York Daily News
 
"For those Yankees fans wishing for Brian Cashman to deliver Felix Hernandez as a Christmas gift, you're more likely to find a lump of coal under the tree this weekend. Despite their abysmal 2010 season and a relatively quiet offseason, the Mariners have no plans to trade the Cy Young winner. "I have no interest in trading Felix," Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik told the Daily News Wednesday. "He's a true ace, a true No. 1, and those are difficult to find. We're very happy to have him here." Hernandez is considered one of the best - if not the best - pitchers in baseball, and given that he won't turn 25 until April, he hasn't even hit his prime. He's also entering the second year of a five-year,"
King Felix mega-deal unlikely, but best idea after Cliff dive
December 19
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"The phone calls were one after another. The first to an AL executive I greatly respect followed directly afterward by one to an NL executive I feel similarly about. The question was the same: How do the Yankees look after failing to sign Cliff Lee? AL executive: "The way they are constituted right now, they are one injury to a veteran in their rotation or a bad stretch from CC (Sabathia) from losing their season." NL executive: "The Yankees won 95 games last year and Cliff Lee was not on the team. To say the Yankees are worse, why? Just because they lost Andy Pettitte and they might not even lose him? Every year I hear they are too old. We'll see. I think they will win 95 games again.""
King Felix should be untouchable
December 15
Foxsports.com
 columnist Ken Rosenthal
"The Yankees are free to inquire on Felix Hernandez, but the Mariners do not figure to move a pitcher who is under contract for four more years — and, ahem, coming off his first American League Cy Young award. The Red Sox, Yankees and Rays reportedly all pushed for Hernandez at the 2009 non-waiver deadline, when he was 2-1/2 years from free agency. The Mariners, who balked at trading him then, should be even less interested in moving him now. True, the M's are in something of a rebuilding mode, and the Yankees are in a near-desperate position after losing free-agent lefty Cliff Lee to the Phillies."
Felix Hernandez's Cy Young is a testament to his maturity — and the ability of voters to see beyond wins
November 19
Seattle Times
 columnist Larry Stone
"Watching the growth of Felix Hernandez — on and off the field — since he arrived in Seattle as a cavalier 19-year-old has been rewarding. It's called maturity, and at age 24, Hernandez is evolving admirably on all fronts, a man of both substance and stuff. Hernandez's coronation as one of the game's premier pitchers (and there are those who would remove the qualifier "one of," but I'll hold off as long as Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum are still active) arrived Thursday, when he overwhelmingly won the American League's Cy Young Award. Some would say the Baseball Writers' Association of America came of age Thursday, as well. No question this year's AL Cy Young vote was being viewed as a"
Felix's Cy Young made more remarkable by Mariners' ineptitude
November 19
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 columnist Art Thiel
"A non-numerical knock this season against the candidacy of Felix Hernandez was that, unlike most of the top candidates for the American League Cy Young Award, he pitched in no pressure games. No argument there. By definition (with the exception of a season opener due to the presence of confetti, fireworks and hope), there are no pressure games in April, when the Mariners last were seen. Once the flowers of May were dropped on the Mariners' competitive grave for 2010, Hernandez was free of any serious team-wide consequence that came with a poorly pitched game. He had almost none. Among all his feats in 2010, that may have been the most impressive. He never let the fetid mess in which he"
Felix Hernandez wins the AL Cy Young Award
November 19
Seattle Times
 
"In an otherwise dismal season for his team, Felix Hernandez maintained a consistent level of excellence rarely demonstrated by the other 24 players around him. And today, for the second time in Mariners history, they have a Cy Young Award winner in their midst. Hernandez was selected the AL Cy Young winner, notching 21 of 28 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, outdistancing rivals David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays and C.C. Sabathia of the New York Yankees. Price garnered four first-place votes, while third-place finisher Sabathia had three. Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox was fourth. Jered Weaver of the Angels placed fifth. Randy Johnson was the only"
Felix is King of AL pitchers, taking Cy Young
November 18
MLB.com
 
"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"