Felix Hernandez News: Pro Sports Daily

Royals' ace Greinke beats out Mariners' Hernadez for AL Cy Young

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November 18

Tacoma News Tribune

"For just the fourth time, the Cy Young Award went to a pitcher on a last-place team, as Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke easily beat a field of elite pitchers that included Seattle's Felix Hernandez. Greinke got 25 first-place votes to two for Hernandez, and both men finished ahead of Detroit's Justin Verlander and New York's CC Sabathia for the American League honor in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. By virtue of his 16-8 record, major league-best 2.16 earned-run average, 229 innings and 242 strikeouts – all for a team that went 65-97 – the shy Greinke was selected his league's best pitcher. "In that way, it's kind of like a negative for me," Greinke said ..."

Four more years, Felix, and then ...

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November 18

Tacoma News Tribune

columnist John McGrath

"A few weeks after Felix Hernandez was snubbed by his major league peers – he didn't rank among the top three American League pitchers in the Players Choice awards – the Mariners ace got what he deserved Tuesday. He finished second in the Cy Young Award voting, behind Kansas City's Zack Greinke. And though Greinke won in a landslide, accumulating 25 of 28 first-place votes, at least Hernandez was in the conversation for the most prestigious of pitching trophies. The baseball writers did more than identify Hernandez's breakout season as Cy Young-worthy. They dispelled the myth that players on the cusp of superstardom can't gain national attention outside such major markets as New York, ..."

Felix Hernandez finishes second in Cy Young voting

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November 17

Seattle Times

"This comes as little surprise, but Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals today was named the runaway winner of the 2009 AL Cy Young Award. Felix Hernandez of the Mariners placed a distant second, beating out the likes of C.C. Sabathia, Justin Verlander and Roy Halladay. Greinke received 25 first-place votes from BBWAA voting members, while Hernandez had 2 and Verlander 1. Hernandez also received 23 second-place votes, the most of any pitcher. Greinke had three second-place votes and Sabathia the other two. In total points, Greinke had 134, Hernandez 80, Verlander 14, Sabathia 13 and Halladay 11."

Greinke gets one more win: AL Cy Young

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November 17

Kansas City Star

"Zack Greinke’s sweep of the major awards is complete after being named the American League Cy Young winner by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Greinke won with 25 of 28 first-place votes, and 134 points, easily beating runner-up Felix Hernandez of Seattle, who received two first-place votes and 80 points. Detroit’s Justin Verlander received the other first-place vote. Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 229 1/3 innings, his breakout season becoming a needed point of pride in an otherwise dreadful Royals season. His ERA was more than a third of a run better than Hernandez, who finished second, and the AL’s best mark since Pedro Martinez in 2000."

The buzz on Felix

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November 10

Seattle Times

"A few stories about Felix Hernandez are emerging from the first day of the GM Meetings in Chicago, and Jack Zduriencik is saying pretty much what he's said all along: The Mariners are fully intent on signing Hernandez, but they are keeping their options open. Here's one. Here's another, And another. And another."

Zduriencik's tasks start with Felix, end at Jr.

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October 6

Tacoma News Tribune

"While the Mariners celebrated their season Sunday with an impromptu Love Boat parade around Safeco Field, it was easy to forget that the team that enjoyed such rare camaraderie in 2009 won't resemble the team that returns in 2010. Of the eight position players in Don Wakamatsu's batting order, I counted only two certainties for next season: Ichiro Suzuki in right field, and Franklin Gutierrez in center. And then there's the pitching - specifically, the unsettled future of ace right-hander Felix Hernandez. General manager Jack Zduriencik could fill several position needs by trading the Cy Young Award candidate, who's got two years remaining on his contract before he'll be eligible to ..."

One more amazing start ends Felix's magical year

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October 5

Tacoma News Tribune

"Zach Greinke likely gets the memento, but Felix Hernandez got the moment. A day after Greinke, the Kansas City ace and Cy Young Award favorite, finished his season by working six difficult innings for a Royals team forced to serve as a doormat for the hard-charging Twins in Minnesota, Hernandez occupied a prominent place in the sun at Safeco Field. He held the Rangers to three runs – only two were earned – and three hits in a 4-3 victory whose aftermath could have set a Guiness record for most hugs exchanged in 30 minutes. While the possibility of Ken Griffey Jr. appearing in a Mariners uniform for the final time was the sentimental theme of the afternoon, the affection shown King Felix by ..."

Felix Hernandez pitches Mariners to 5-4 victory

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September 25

Seattle Times

"It must be difficult for Felix Hernandez not to think about the American League Cy Young Award for which he's in the running. "Not really," said Hernandez after striking out a season-high 11 in eight innings in the Mariners' 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, reaching 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career. "I'm just trying to go out there and pitch my game. If it happens, it happens, you know." As well as he pitched Thursday - he allowed four runs, three earned, with Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells driving in all the runs with a three-run homer and a single - Hernandez needed Josh Wilson's two-out, two-run triple in the eighth to secure the victory. David ..."

Critical error costs Hernandez, Mariners in 5-3 loss

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August 19

Seattle Times

"When an eternally long eighth inning first began, Mariners ace Felix Hernandez was feeling pretty good about his chances. After all, he'd watched his team's 175-pound, emergency shortstop, Josh Wilson, score the go-ahead run in the top of that frame, two innings after tying things up with just his second home run in two years. But just when the breathing was coming a little easier for Hernandez, the strings of this eventual 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night started to unravel. Hernandez could only sit and watch helplessly in the bottom half of the eighth when relief pitcher Mark Lowe and the Seattle defense turned his two-run lead into an equivalent deficit. "It feels weird," ..."

Toronto's Roy Halladay is a fan of Mariners' Felix Hernandez

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July 29

Seattle Times

"One of the dominant major-league pitchers this decade says it's obvious Felix Hernandez has graduated from a young Mariners phenom to a top-of-the-rotation arm. Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, who met Hernandez at this month's All-Star Game, said before Monday night's contest that Seattle's No. 1 starter has "dominating type of stuff" and has learned the consistency his role demands. "I think you look at results at this point," Halladay said. "I think when guys first come up, you look at the stuff and you try to project. But until guys are able to do it consistently, not only start-to-start, but year-in, year-out, I think that's kind of the turning point where we go from what we think ..."

Felix Hernandez pitches Mariners to win

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July 18

Seattle Times

"The Mariners had the perfect method to sweep aside the sloppy remains of Thursday's deflating defeat. Send Felix Hernandez to the mound. Funny how much sharper a team looks with an overpowering ace on the mound. With Hernandez pitching excellently in his first start since working a perfect inning in Tuesday's All-Star Game, the Mariners breezed past the Indians, 6-2, at Progressive Field. Hernandez limited the Indians to five hits and two runs in eight innings, striking out eight, to raise his record to 10-3. More tellingly, he is 9-2 after a Seattle loss. "That's an ace. That's an All-Star," said Mariners' manager Don Wakamatsu. "We talked last night how much our starting pitching sets ..."

Fired-up Felix savoring All-Star festivities

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July 14

Seattle Times

"Few of the 66 All-Stars here in St. Louis are enjoying it more than Felix Hernandez, who is clearly pumped to be here. Perhaps the one downside is that his parents, who were going to attend, had visa problems leaving Venezuela. "Then my dad was sick,'' Hernandez said. "He said he'd come to Seattle later, and watch it on TV.'' But otherwise, it's all been good for Felix, and he expects it to get better. "The fun starts later,'' he said, thinking ahead to the workout, Home Run Derby, and the game itself. Of course, this could be just the start for Felix, who should make many more All-Star teams if his career progresses as it appears to be."

Ichiro headed for his ninth All-Star game, Felix his first

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July 6

Tacoma News Tribune

"The Seattle Mariners will have two players - Ichiro Suzuki and Felix Hernandez - in the 2009 All-Star game next week. For Ichiro, the selection seemed automatic; he's been an American League All-Star each of his ninth seasons in the big leagues. For Hernandez, this is his first appearance - and he's as excited as you'd expect a 23-year-old to be. "It's always been a goal, and I feel like it's one step forward for me," Hernandez said. "When Don (Wakamasu) told us, he said we ought to thank our teammates for their support. Well, I thanked everybody." Ichiro's numbers couldn't be ignored. Before Seattle's 81st game Sunday, he led the major leagues in batting average (.365) and hits (116). ..."

Felix Hernandez joins Ichiro on AL All-Star team

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July 6

Seattle Times

"Felix Hernandez dreamed of being a major-league All-Star from the time he grew up in a modest bungalow owned by his truck-driver father in Venezuela. And now, after the Mariners' ace achieved his goal on Sunday, getting named to the American League squad along with right fielder Ichiro, he'll bring his parents along to the contest in St. Louis next week. "Oh yeah, my mother will be there, my father too," said Hernandez, the 23-year-old who was still living at his parents' home just a few offseasons ago. Hernandez (8-3) was named to the All-Star team for the first time, capping a spectacular stretch of games that saw him capture AL Pitcher of the Month honors for June. The right-hander went ..."

M's must find a way to sign Felix

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June 21

Tacoma News Tribune

"Following Felix Hernandez's latest outing - a dominant two-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres - two obvious thoughts came to mind. Thought One: Wow, the Padres are really awful offensively. Hernandez has had days with better stuff and better command, and yet he still carved them up with brutal efficiency. And Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres' best hitter? Well, Hernandez just wore him out with fastballs on the inside half of the plate that he could never catch up with, sending him to an 0-for-4 day. Thought Two: The Mariners really need to find a way to sign Hernandez to a long-term contract extension. Neither of these thoughts is exactly original. In fact, any time Hernandez has a ..."

Correia aced by Mariners' Hernandez

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June 18

San Diego Union-Tribune

"Kevin Correia says it is not something he takes to the mound. But the thought is there. "You know in the back of your head that we don't have one guy to replace Jake Peavy," Correia said Tuesday night. And now Peavy, who is out from four to 12 weeks with a strained ankle tendon, is at least temporarily joined on the sideline by Chris Young - who will miss at least one start with shoulder tightness and inflammation. Minus Peavy and Young, the ace of the Padres rotation these days is Correia. And Tuesday night, Correia pitched like an ace ... only to be beaten by one. Seattle's Felix Hernandez threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout as the Mariners defeated the Padres 5-0 before 17,040 ..."

Felix Hernandez gets hit hard as Mariners lose their sixth straight

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May 10

Seattle Times

"The consolation-prize smiles have long since vanished from a Mariners group needing more than just symbolic improvement. Instead, one of the quietest postgame sessions yet followed a 9-6 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, as the Mariners seemed to grasp the urgency of their situation. They could have basked in the fact that they'd scored more runs in this contest than their previous four combined, or revel in the knowledge that Adrian Beltre finally hit a home run and actually looked like a cleanup hitter. Instead, they ate in silence and kept any smiles or laughs to a bare minimum. A six-game losing streak can do that to a team, and the Mariners, now below .500 for the first time in a month, ..."

Felix Hernandez pitches a gem as Mariners split doubleheader with White Sox

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April 29

Seattle Times

"Moments after Russell Branyan had collected his career-high fourth hit of Tuesday night's game, the guy who brought him to Seattle was in the press box seeking information. An excited-sounding Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik wanted to confirm that the journeyman first baseman, now with his eighth team in 12 seasons, really had set a personal best. So, he'd left a private suite he'd been sharing with the team president, entered the press area and was informed that Branyan had put up 22 previous three-hit games, but never more than that. "So, he's never had more than three, right?" asked Zduriencik, who then happily added: "I just wanted to make sure that was right, because I kept ..."

Felix Hernandez's spring out of this world because of WBC

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February 15

Seattle Times

"A smile crossed the lips of Felix Hernandez as he labored for breath after a series of nauseating wind sprints. Mention the World Baseball Classic to Hernandez, and the Mariners pitcher's mood brightens instantly. Hernandez's team has long kept him from pitching winter ball in front of his native Venezuelans, so the WBC is his one chance to shine for his homeland on an international scale. And unlike the team's prior stances with Hernandez and winter ball, not wanting him to tax his arm, the Mariners are taking a hands-off approach this spring with the WBC. Despite the disruption to their spring-training camp, which opened here Saturday for pitchers and catchers, the Mariners are allowing ..."

Felix Hernandez gets 1-year deal

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January 20

Seattle Times

"A one-year contract between Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez and the ballclub is all that's planned for now. Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Monday, after the $3.8 million contract was agreed to, that talks toward a longer deal could be revisited as the months progress. But for now, with spring training less than a month away, the Mariners are merely glad to have avoided arbitration with their blossoming ace. "I think as we move forward, we'll talk about different options," said Zduriencik, who wrapped up organizational meetings with his team's coaches, assistants and scouts over the weekend. "The priority was to get him signed right now. Obviously, we did so. As time goes ..."

Felix deal: $3.8 million for one year

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January 20

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"The Mariners took their first step toward a long future with Felix Hernandez by signing the right-hander to a one-year contract worth $3.8 million Monday. Hernandez is the first of three arbitration-eligible pitchers to sign and thus bypass baseball's arbitration process. The Mariners are hoping left-hander Erik Bedard and right-hander Aaron Heilman will do the same. General manager Jack Zduriencik would not say if the club tried to get Hernandez's name on a long-term contract. Either way, it is only a matter of time before the Mariners make a big push for a deal that would tie Hernandez to the club past the 2011 season. Former GM Bill Bavasi tried to get Hernandez to sign a long-term deal ..."

Felix agrees to one-year, $3.8M deal

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January 19

MLB.com

"The Mariners have avoided salary arbitration with ace right-hander Felix Hernandez, agreeing to a one-year, $3.8 million contract, according to a Major League official. The 22-year-old Hernandez, who had his contract automatically renewed for $540,000 last season, led the Mariners in starts (31), ERA (3.45), wins (9), innings (200 2/3) and strikeouts (175). He also hit a grand slam off Mets left-hander Johan Santana during an Interleague game played at Shea Stadium. He finished among the American League leaders in ERA and strikeouts and his 3.01 ERA on the road was the sixth-best in the league. Hernandez's overall ERA was the lowest by a Mariners starter since Jamie Moyer had a 3.27 mark ..."

Hernandez tosses gem as M's bats go silent

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September 5

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"One of baseball's hitter-friendliest ballparks, with a warm and a steady wind swirling. A reliever making a fill-in start for the opposition, sporting a 7.53 ERA. An offense with a .291 batting average since the All-Star break. You'd think it would have added up to a pile of runs for the Mariners. Instead, it added up to zero. The Mariners were victims of a surprising 1-0 shutout Wednesday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, wasting a superb outing by Felix Hernandez in his 100th career start. It was just the third 1-0 victory for Texas in the past 18 years, and the first 1-0 game played in Arlington in more than four years. The Mariners hadn't lost a 1-0 game to the Rangers since 1989. The ..."

M's Felix Hernandez gives up 1, loses 1-0

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September 4

Seattle Times

"Felix Hernandez walked at a snail's pace toward the dugout upon being relieved by Jake Woods in the eighth inning Wednesday. He took one glance to the bullpen in left field before he headed down the dugout steps, where he was greeted by hand pounds and a few pats on the back. Hernandez, who had just finished his 100th career major-league start by allowing one earned run in 7-1/3 innings, would have much preferred some offensive production. Milton Bradley's sacrifice fly in the first inning was the only run in Texas' 1-0 victory in front of 12,882 at Rangers Ballpark. Two offenses that combined for 55 hits and 28 runs in the first two games of the series produced 16 hits and one run in a ..."

Felix Hernandez gets overdue reward in M's win over A's

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August 25

Seattle Times

"Three long innings were staring Felix Hernandez in the face as he waited to see whether his latest "quality start" would be for nought. Playing for the Mariners has not been kind to starters who throw at least six innings while giving up three or fewer earned runs. Jarrod Washburn and Ryan Rowland-Smith were reminded of that this weekend by the visiting Oakland Athletics. And Hernandez entered Sunday's game seeking his first win since July 18 despite a bunch of quality starts. Hernandez had to sweat a bit, but he emerged with an 8-4 victory. It took some bumbling by A's fielders and unlikely heroics by Miguel Cairo, but Hernandez's six innings of three-run ball finally stood up. "It's been ..."

Losing ways betray Felix's calm exterior

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August 20

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"By the numbers, Felix Hernandez has been a rare bright spot in a dismal Mariners season. He has won almost as many games as he's lost (7-8) -- not bad pitching for a team 33 games under .500. His ERA, 3.23 after giving up five runs in five innings in a 5-0 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday, ranks in the top 10 in the American League. But after the latest loss, it was evident by the look in Hernandez's eyes that the losing has hit him as hard as anyone. He could easily pick up a bat and demolish a door or a water cooler as other pitchers have done over the years, but that's not in him. "I have to stay calm," Hernandez said. "That's the only way to do it." The calm demeanor is on the outside. ..."

Frustration weighs on Mariners' pitcher Hernandez

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July 30

Tacoma News Tribune

"Closing in on August, the Seattle Mariners don't have an eight-game winner on their pitching staff, a fact that makes their youngest starting pitcher - Felix Hernandez - bite his lip. At 22, Hernandez began the year with big goals that began with pitching and winning a lot of games for a contending team. Injuries have cost him games, and the Mariners haven't been at .500 since they were 11-11. As for Hernandez, his numbers are solid, though his record (7-6) is far from spectacular. His earned run average (3.02) is the best in the rotation, and he leads the team in innings pitched (131) and strikeouts (121). Then there are seven no-decisions. If you think he's pitched well enough to win ..."

Hernandez goes on the Mariners DL

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July 1

Tacoma News Tribune

"Felix Hernandez was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game Monday, a move that means the earliest he could start would be July 9 in Oakland. To take his spot on the roster, the Mariners called up left-handed reliever Cesar Jimenez from Tacoma. Jimenez will join the team tonight and almost certainly work out of the bullpen. Hernandez hasn't pitched since suffering a sprained left ankle in a home-plate collision with the New York Mets' Carlos Beltran on June 23. Now, he won't make more than one more start before the All-Star break begins July 14."

Bedard likely to start Sunday for Hernandez

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June 26

Seattle Times

"Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is increasingly unlikely to make his scheduled start on Sunday against the Padres, with Erik Bedard now penciled in to pitch the game. Bedard hasn't pitched since coming out of last Friday's game in Atlanta after three innings with a back spasm. Bedard hadn't even been able to throw, other than playing catch on flat ground, until Wednesday, when he had a bullpen session that pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre termed "very good." Stottlemyre said that as long as Bedard comes through last night's cross-country flight to San Diego and another bullpen session on Friday without any setbacks, he's their pick to face Jake Peavy on Sunday."

Felix Hernandez pushing to pitch, M's not so sure

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June 25

Seattle Times

"Felix Hernandez was walking around in a plastic boot on Tuesday, but that was a precautionary measure to reduce the swelling and limit the stress on his sprained left ankle. "He's very sore. I saw him walk in kind of hobbling," said Mariners pitching coaching Mel Stottlemyre. "I said, 'Oh oh.' " Hernandez is still vowing to make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Padres. Though the doctor who examined him Monday night said the sprain was mild, the Mariners plan to be cautious."

Hernandez's grand slam high hits sudden low

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June 24

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"It is becoming increasingly evident that nothing will come easy to the Mariners this season. One of the highest moments of the season was offset by one of the bleakest Monday night. Starting pitcher Felix Hernandez did what no Mariners hitter had done this year, and what no Seattle pitcher had ever done. He hit a grand slam in the second inning off two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana of the Mets. Three innings later, Hernandez was sprawled in the dirt after being clipped in a home plate collision with New York center fielder Carlos Beltran."

Grand slam by Felix Hernandez is one for the books

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June 24

Seattle Times

"Before Felix Hernandez's night turned painful, he provided one of the great Mariners highlights of the season. Granted, that's faint praise, but his second-inning grand slam, off Johan Santana, no less, was one for the books. It was the first homer of any kind by a Mariners pitcher, and the first grand slam by an American League pitcher since Cleveland's Steve Dunning vs. Oakland on May 11, 1971."

Felix Hernandez leaves with sprained ankle

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June 24

Seattle Times

"Felix Hernandez came out of the Mariners' game against the Mets in the fifth inning with a sprained left ankle. Hernandez was injured when Carlos Beltran slid into him at the plate. Hernandez was covering the plate after a wild pitch. The Mariners led 5-1 at the time, on the strength of a grand slam by Hernandez in the second inning."

Felix helps Mariners end four-game skid

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June 18

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"In explaining Felix Hernandez, Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez said it's a matter of desire. "You just have a tough time prying the ball out of his hand," Ibanez said in the wake of Hernandez's fourth consecutive win, a 5-4 victory over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday. "Felix wants the ball," Ibanez said. "He doesn't ever want to come out of there. He's a gamer, and as a teammate you love that.""

Hitters wary of righty Mariners' Hernandez

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June 17

Miami Herald

"Felix Hernandez is unknown to all but a few Marlins, at least in the sense of having faced the Seattle pitcher. But those who have rave about the 22-year-old Venezuelan. ''I just remember that he was almost unhittable,'' said Marlins third baseman Jorge Cantu, who faced Hernandez in 2006 when he was still with the Tampa Bay Rays. ``He was pretty filthy.''"

Felix Hernandez gets strikeouts when he needed them

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June 13

Seattle Times

"Strikeouts have always been a big part of the Felix Hernandez repertoire. But Wednesday afternoon, it was the timing of the strikeouts that helped Hernandez. He relied on quick ground-ball outs in a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to get him through some early innings and conserve energy for when he needed it most."

Mariners Felix Hernandez provides quiet for Red Sox

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June 7

Boston Herald

"Twenty-four hours of chaos and Felix Hernandez do not make a good concoction. Just ask the Red Sox. With the lingering effects of Thursday night - bench-clearing and dugout brawls included - along with a collection of ailments that took Manny Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz out of the Sox lineup, Hernandez applied a heavy dose of insult to injury last night. The ultra-talented 22-year-old pitcher built upon his growing legend, at least at Fenway Park, holding the Red Sox to no runs on six hits in six innings on the way to an 8-0 Mariners victory."

Hernandez gives up four runs in eighth to ruin quality start

May 27

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"For seven innings, Felix Hernandez could do no wrong. Then for one inning, he couldn't seem to do anything right. Given the Mariners' state of affairs, it was no surprise that the one bad inning made the difference Monday night as the Boston Red Sox extended Seattle's losing streak to seven games with a 5-3 victory at Safeco Field."

Hernandez scratched because of leg soreness

May 24

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A day after he talked about making some changes to shake up the Mariners' sagging fortunes, manager John McLaren shuffled his starting rotation. Felix Hernandez, who was supposed to pitch Saturday against the Yankees, was pushed back to Monday and will start against the Red Sox on Memorial Day at Safeco Field. Carlos Silva was moved up from Sunday to Saturday. Jarrod Washburn will get the Sunday start."