Félix Hernández is a Venezuelan- American professional baseball pitcher. He plays for the Seattle Mariners and his nickname is “King Félix”.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about his life and career!
- His full name is Félix Abraham Graham Hernández García
- He was born in April 8, 1986
- His nickname is “King Félix”
- He is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball 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
- It was a 1- 0 victory at Safeco Field
- It was also the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners franchise history
- His perfect game remains the most recent in Major League Baseball
- On April 23, 2016, Hernandez claimed the record for most strikeouts by a Mariners pitcher
- Then he struck out 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 gave him the club record in that category as well
- Surpassing Jamie Moyer
- It occurred on May 9
- Hernández was born in Valencia, Venezuela
- He was first spotted by Luis Fuenmayor
- A part-time Mariners scout
- He saw him pitching at age 14 in a tournament near Maracaibo, Venezuela
- Fuenmayor recommended Hernández to fellow scouts Pedro Avila and Emilio Carrasquel
- They 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
- One reason Hernández chose the Mariners is because his idol, fellow Venezuelan pitcher Freddy García, was pitching for the team at the time
- His agent, Wil Polidor, also attributed the decision to the influence of Hernández’s father Félix Sr.
- He was a trucking business owner who handled negotiations for his son
- Engle and the other Mariners scouts had cultivated a relationship with the family to explain their plans for Félix and earn the family’s trust
- On May 28, 2011, a special cheering section for Hernández, dubbed “King’s Court”
- It debuted in Safeco Field on the foul territory side of the left field foul pole
- The creation of the Mariners marketing director, it marked the first time in Major League Baseball that a stadium promotion was designed around a popular player
- By popular demand, the cheering section was expanded from two to three sections – Sections 148, 149, and 150 – by the end of the year
- Seats are sold at a discount and the ticket price includes a yellow “King Félix” T-shirt
- And a yellow placard imprinted with a large “K” to wave when cheering for strikeouts by Hernández
- “King’s Court” is typically occupied by about 1,500 fans on days that Hernández starts
- Hernández reportedly likes the cheering squad
- But is able to maintain his concentration and not give in to the temptation to throw a fastball on an 0- 2 count in response to his cheering fans
- If there is a marquee matchup (duel of team aces), or a big/important game in which Hernandez pitches, there is another King’s Court added in the upper deck directly above the King’s Court
- These sections are called the “High Court”
- Hernández represented his native Venezuela in the 2009 World Baseball Classic
- In his first outing, he pitched four innings in relief
- Surrendering only one hit while not allowing a run
- In his next game, Hernández shut out Puerto Rico over 4 and two thirds innings
- Hernandez participated in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, playing for Venezuela
- Hernández has been known to throw a sinker (two-seam fastball), a slider (he avoided the slider early in his career because the team was concerned it might injure his arm), a changeup, and a curveball
- His fastball no longer reaches the 100 mph
- As it did when he first broke into MLB
- But he has become a much craftier and more efficient pitcher over the years
- In 2016, Hernández’s sinker averaged about 90- 92 mph
- Four-seam fastball at 90–92 mph; slider at 84- 86 mph
- Curveball at 79- 81 mph
- Changeup at 87- 88 mph
- And the occasional cut fastball at 88- 90 mph
- The changeup was his most commonly used two-strike pitch
- And had the highest whiff rate of his pitches
- When at his best, Hernández can induce a steady procession of groundball outs and strikeouts
- With very few balls being hit in the air
- Like some other pitchers, Hernández wears a long-sleeved undershirt beneath his uniform jersey
- While typically this is done to keep the pitcher’s arm from getting chilled
- Hernández wears it even in the hottest weather
- For him it serves to keep perspiration from running down his arms and interfering with his hand’s grip on the baseball
- Hernández and his wife have a son and daughter and the family resides in Clyde Hill
- His family and relatives call him by his middle name, Abraham
- Hernandez’s older brother, Moises, spent 12 seasons playing minor league baseball in various organizations
- Hernández has two dogs, King and Oreo
- And he is a spokesman for the Seattle King County Humane Society
- Hernández is also the Seattle Mariners Ambassador for the Pepsi Refresh Project
- Raising money for the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- In September 2018 Hernández became naturalized as a United States citizen
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