FÉLIX HERNÁNDEZ: HALL OF FAME CANDIDATE

Félix Hernández was one of the greatest pitchers of his generation. A true workhorse, King Felix played his entire 15 year career in Seattle, where he was one of the most fearsome and reliable pitchers in the Major Leagues.

King Félix made his Major League debut on August 4, 2005 at the age of 19 years and 118 days, one of four teenagers since 1995 to pitch in a Major League game. From his first full season in 2006 until his last full season without injury in 2015, Felix was nothing short of dominant, amassing over 2,000 strikeouts and 2,000 innings pitched.

Hernández, born in Valencia, Venezuela finished his career as the all-time leader in virtually every major pitching statistic among players born in Venezuela.

He is one of just 5 pitchers with 2,500+ strikeouts and 2,500+ innings pitched for only one franchise, joined by Hall of Famers Walter Johnson-WSH, Bob Gibson-STL and Bob Feller-CLE, and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw-LAD.

He accomplished numerous incredible feats throughout his career, including a 4 strikeout inning and an immaculate inning. He was a 6-time All-Star, including starting the game for the American League in 2014, a Cy Young Award winner in 2010 (and runner-up in 2009 and 2014) won the AL ERA title twice (2010 and 2014), and the Major League ERA title in 2010. But none of those feats were more impressive—or impactful—than his perfect game on August 15, 2012 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

There is no better example of King Félix’s impact on Seattle, than the dedicated fans of the “Kings Court”, who would fill the left field stands with gold shirts and “K” cards, their cheers reverberating around the stadium.

The face of the Mariners franchise for more than a decade, Hernández finished his career as the Mariners all-time leader in strikeouts (2,524), wins (169), starts (418) and innings pitched (2729.2), while his ERA (3.42) is tied for the franchise-best.

CAREER ACCOLADES

• Cy Young Award Winner (2010)
• 6x AL All-Star (2009, 2011-15)
• 2014 All-Star Game Starter (American League)
• Perfect Game (vs. Tampa Bay Rays, August 15, 2012)
• 1x MLB Era Title (2010)
• 2x AL ERA Title (2010 and 2014)
• 2x Cy Young Award Runner-Up (2009 and 2014)
• 6 finishes in the top 10 of Cy Young voting (2009, 2010, 2012-15)
• AL innings pitched leader (2010)
• MLB wins leader (2009)
• AL WHIP leader (2014)
• AL WAR (Baseball Reference) leader (2010)
• 4 Strikeout Inning (vs. Minnesota Twins, June 3, 2010)
• Immaculate Inning (vs. Miami Marlins, June 17, 2008)
• 4x AL Pitcher of the Month (June 2009, September 2009, August 2012 and June 2014)
• 2x AL Pitcher of the Week (August 19, 2012 and June 8th, 2014)
• Seattle Chapter BBWAA Mariners Most Valuable Pitcher (2008-12, 2014-15)
• 3x Roberto Clemente Award Nominee (2011-12, 2014)
• Mariners Hall of Fame Inductee (2023)
• At 19 years, 118 days, was 7th-youngest pitcher to start MLB debut since 1969
• 16 consecutive starts of 7.0+ IP and ≤2 R allowed, most in MLB history (5/18-8/11/2014)

BBWAA HALL OF FAME VOTING RESULTS

2025 - 20.6% (81-of-394)

Below is a detailed look at Félix Hernández's career in both English and Spanish:

• English
• Spanish