Felix Hernandez

Félix Abraham Hernández García, known as "King Félix," was a Venezuelan-American pitcher who spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. Born on April 8, 1986, in Valencia, Venezuela, he became a six-time All-Star, led the majors in wins in 2009, topped the American League in earned run average in both 2010 and 2014, and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2010. He also represented Venezuela at two World Baseball Classics.

Hernández threw the 23rd perfect game in MLB history on August 15, 2012, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 at Safeco Field—the first perfect game for the Mariners franchise. On April 23, 2016, he struck out Rafael Ortega for his 2,163rd strikeout, breaking Randy Johnson’s club record. His 146th win on May 9, 2016, also set a new Mariners record. For a decade, he was one of baseball’s elite pitchers and a fan favorite in Seattle, known for his durability; he started at least 30 games in ten straight seasons. After turning 30, injuries, a drop in fastball velocity, and a rising ERA slowed him. He left the Mariners after 2019, signing with the Atlanta Braves and later the Baltimore Orioles, but never pitched in the majors again.

Discovered at age 14 by part-time Mariners scout Luis Fuenmayor during a tournament near Maracaibo, Hernández was recommended to scouts Pedro Avila and Emilio Carrasquel. Seattle signed him as soon as he turned 16, per MLB rules. On July 4, 2002, after high school, he agreed to his first professional contract with a $710,000 signing bonus, though he noted the Mariners were not the highest bidder—the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves reportedly offered more. He chose Seattle partly because his idol, fellow Venezuelan Freddy García, was then pitching for the team. His father, Félix Sr., a trucking business owner who handled negotiations, and agent Wil Polidor also influenced the decision, as Mariners director Bob Engle and scouts had built trust with the family.

In the minors, Hernández went 7-2 in 2003 for the Class A Everett AquaSox and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He was named the Mariners’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2004, appearing in the Futures Game after starting with the Inland Empire 66ers and moving to the Double-A San Antonio Missions, finishing a combined 14-4 with a 2.95 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 149 innings. The fan blog U.S.S. Mariner dubbed him “King Felix” in 2003. By early 2005, Baseball America ranked him the top pitching prospect and second overall behind Joe Mauer. That year, he posted a 9-4 record with a league-leading 2.25 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 88 innings for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, earning PCL Rookie and Pitcher of the Year honors, though an injury kept him from the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Called up after his injury, Hernández debuted on August 4, 2005, in a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. At 19 years, 118 days, he was the youngest MLB pitcher since José Rijo in 1984. He earned his first win on August 9, throwing eight shutout innings in a 1-0 home victory over the Minnesota Twins. He faced 112 batters before allowing his first extra-base hit, a double by Jermaine Dye. In 12 starts, he went 4-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 77 strikeouts, exhausting his rookie eligibility. After the season, the Mariners objected to him pitching in the 2006 World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, citing his earlier injury, and the WBC technical committee upheld their appeal. He initially wore number 59, switching to number 34 in 2006—the same number Freddy García had worn.

For his first full season in 2006, Hernández arrived at spring training out of shape and dealt with shin splints, but recovered to start the season in the rotation. He struggled at times but showed flashes of his potential, throwing his first career complete game on June 11 in a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. On August 27, again against the Angels, he recorded his first shutout.