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| King Felix having a season for the ages. Photo Credit: Getty Images |
First lets start with looking at the division he is pitching in this season. It features arguably the top two teams in all of baseball in the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels. That is some very stiff competition to go up against all season long, especially when you look at each of those team’s lineups and how deep and lethal they are.
To give you an example of just how explosive each team’s offense is, respectively the Athletics and Angels are first and second when it comes to runs scored in the American League. From that state you can see that both teams have been able to wreck a lot of nights for opposing pitchers, every pitcher that is except King Felix.
Hernandez has faced the Athletics four times this season, in those four starts he is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA with only giving up 8 earned runs and striking out 28 batters, staggering numbers to ponder against that powered filled Athletics lineup. It is a lineup that included still what was the centerpiece of their offense in power slugger Yoenis Cespedes, making Hernandez’s accomplishments against them that much more impressive.
No other pitcher has the A’s number quite like the Mariner’s ace seems to have of them. It does not matter if its in Safeco Field or in Oakland at The Coliseum, he is just able to work both sides of the plate for strikes and get normally what are patient and very pitch savvy hitters in Oakland to come out of their plate approach and make them speed up their bats, which leads to a lot of strikeouts and fly ball outs for Hernandez.
Its not as if this core of Athletics players are new to seeing King Felix pitch, they have faced him many times, know what his out pitches are and where he likes to throw them in the strike zone, yet can not get any good hits off him, a sign of an elite pitcher at work.
Its not as if this core of Athletics players are new to seeing King Felix pitch, they have faced him many times, know what his out pitches are and where he likes to throw them in the strike zone, yet can not get any good hits off him, a sign of an elite pitcher at work.
As for when he has gone up against the team from Orange County this season, he puts up even more impressive numbers if you can believe that. In three starts vs the Angels, Hernandez has posted a 2-0 record with a microscopic 1.25 ERA ,giving up a total of three earned runs, striking out 29 batters and most impressive of all these stats is the fact that he has held that dynamic and explosive Angels lineup to a paltry .137 batting average.
A lineup that has Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Erick Aybar in it you would figure they could at some point crack the code to get some consistent hits and runs generated off of him but that is a testament to how sharp, focused and elite his pitches can be on any given night, against even the most powerful and feared lineups in baseball.
A lineup that has Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Erick Aybar in it you would figure they could at some point crack the code to get some consistent hits and runs generated off of him but that is a testament to how sharp, focused and elite his pitches can be on any given night, against even the most powerful and feared lineups in baseball.
Second, the 28 year old has gone 13-3 this season and of those 13 wins, Hernandez has had to go up and outduel some of baseball's best pitchers in order to get to that number of wins. He has gone through the likes of Jeff Samardzija , Jered Weaver and John Lackey in key games for his club and has come through clutch in each of those big pitching matchups.
He has a knack for being able to elevate his performances to a whole other level in these elevated games of importance like few others can. His arsenal of pitches, if possible, are sharpened and even more refined when he is in a tight battle with another ace like pitcher, giving his team more than a great chance to get the victory. He is not one who needs allot of run support to thrive, one two runs can look out three or four runs to opponents on a day when he is in rhythm, which seems like in every start he is one.
He has a knack for being able to elevate his performances to a whole other level in these elevated games of importance like few others can. His arsenal of pitches, if possible, are sharpened and even more refined when he is in a tight battle with another ace like pitcher, giving his team more than a great chance to get the victory. He is not one who needs allot of run support to thrive, one two runs can look out three or four runs to opponents on a day when he is in rhythm, which seems like in every start he is one.
Finally looking at the season as a whole for King Felix so far and yes it has been dominant and astonishing to see but also historic in a sense as well. He is currently on a major league baseball record 16 consecutive starts of pitching seven innings or more and allowing two runs or less, a mind blowing accomplishment even for a ten year veteran of the majors like Hernandez is.
That ability to deliver such high quality starts for a couple of consecutive months especially in the middle of chasing a postseason berth, like the Mariners are right now, furthers stamps this historic mark he is setting right now. Only the greats of the past have piled up such a streak of dominance. He surpassed the likes of Tom Seaver, Mike Scott, Dwight Gooden, Charles Bender and Ferdie Schupp, some very rarified air to be apart of in the pitching world.
That ability to deliver such high quality starts for a couple of consecutive months especially in the middle of chasing a postseason berth, like the Mariners are right now, furthers stamps this historic mark he is setting right now. Only the greats of the past have piled up such a streak of dominance. He surpassed the likes of Tom Seaver, Mike Scott, Dwight Gooden, Charles Bender and Ferdie Schupp, some very rarified air to be apart of in the pitching world.
Seasons like the one King Felix is putting up now do not come around that often, especially in the power heavy league like the American League is. Now there are other quality candidates for AL MVP like Angel’s power slugger Mike Trout, but Hernandez has shown over a very long period of time this season just how great he can be from start to start. and has delivered above and beyond anyone could have dreamed of this year.
I mean we are talking about a 13-3 record with a 1.95 ERA in an era where there are still power hitters cranking out home runs and teams still being able to pile up the runs on a routine basis. Hernandez has made a case for AL MVP through his elite play and certainly should be on the minds of more voters of that award, especially who live west of the Mississippi and don’t necessarily pay attention to west coast major league baseball like others do.
I mean we are talking about a 13-3 record with a 1.95 ERA in an era where there are still power hitters cranking out home runs and teams still being able to pile up the runs on a routine basis. Hernandez has made a case for AL MVP through his elite play and certainly should be on the minds of more voters of that award, especially who live west of the Mississippi and don’t necessarily pay attention to west coast major league baseball like others do.
