Félix Hernández | |||
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Hernández at Yankee Stadium in May 2007
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Seattle Mariners – No. 34 | |||
Starting pitcher | |||
Born: Valencia, Venezuela |
April 8, 1986 |||
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MLB debut | |||
August 4, 2005, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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Win–loss record | 154–109 | ||
Earned run average | 3.16 | ||
Strikeouts | 2,264 | ||
WHIP | 1.18 | ||
Teams | |||
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan professional baseball starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2005.
On August 15, 2012, he threw the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history against the Tampa Bay Rays in a 1–0 victory at Safeco Field. It was also the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners franchise history.
On April 23, 2016, Hernandez claimed the record for most strikeouts by a Mariners pitcher when he struckout Rafael Ortega of the Los Angeles Angels for his 2,163rd strikeout as a Mariner pitcher. The previous record of 2,162 strikeouts had been held by Randy Johnson. His 146th win, which occurred on May 9, gave him the club record in that category as well, surpassing Jamie Moyer.
Hernández was born in Valencia, Venezuela. He was first spotted by Luis Fuenmayor, a part-time Mariners scout who saw him pitching at age 14 in a tournament near Maracaibo, Venezuela. Fuenmayor recommended Hernández to fellow scouts Pedro Avila and Emilio Carrasquel, who were impressed with the youngster who could already throw 90 mph. The Seattle Mariners signed Hernandez as soon as he turned 16, in accordance with MLB rules.
After graduating from high school, Hernández finally agreed to his first professional contract. Mariners director of international operations Bob Engle signed Hernández as a nondrafted free agent on July 4, 2002. Hernández received a large signing bonus of $710,000, although he said the Mariners were not the highest bidder. Other teams trying to sign him included the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves, with both teams reportedly offering more money than Seattle.