We already know Felix Hernandez is a great pitcher, and his dominance on Opening Day against the Angels only served to underscore that fact. Hernandez hurled seven innings of two-hit ball against one of the American League's best offenses, surrendering just one run and striking out 10 batters.
Another Opening Day, another dominant Felix Hernandez start
The Mariners have improved up and down the roster, but Felix Hernandez remains the prime reason they could contend in the AL West.
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That single blemish came on a first-inning home run from Mike Trout (who reminded us of his own greatness with a bomb over the centerfield fence at Safeco Field). From there, King Felix allowed just two runners to reach base, retiring 18 of the last 20 batters he faced, nine by punch-out.
This type of dominance is what we’ve come to expect from Hernandez, though the 10-year veteran has always pitched especially well on Opening Day. After Monday’s performance, Hernandez is now 6-0 lifetime in Opening Day starts with a 1.49 ERA.
More importantly, Hernandez is the essential piece in the Mariners' hopes to end a 14-year playoff drought in Seattle. His 2014 campaign, in which he posted a career-best 2.14 ERA and 5.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio, provided plenty of proof that he is still at the height of his powers.
What's changed is that the Mariners have finally assembled some talent around the five-time All-Star, with Robinson Cano and a quietly solid pitching staff making them playoff contenders in one of baseball's tougher divisions. Hernandez is the man at the center, the pitcher whose continued excellence gives Seattle the chance to beat anybody whenever he takes the mound.
It’s just one game, of course, but we already know that Hernandez is more than capable of carrying the Mariners on his back.
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