Results tagged ‘ Felix Hernandez ’

What They Are Saying – King Felix

Felix Hernandez tied his career-high with 13 strikeouts in a shutout performance last night vs. Boston. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Here are a bunch of quotes of what was said about the 13-strikeout performance by Felix Hernandez last night:

“Tonight is as good as I’ve ever seen him. Against a lot of veteran hitters, a lot of good hitters, and a 0-0 ballgame like that, you couldn’t ask for anything more.”

- Mariners Manager Eric Wedge

“I wanted to do it so bad for him. He pitched his tail end off. We came through with some big plays for him, but that was an unbelievable performance to watch.”

- Mariners left fielder Casper Wells

“That’s the best we’ve seen. He was unreal. His stuff was moving all over the place. He kept the ball out of the middle of the plate. He was pretty special tonight.”

- Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia

“He was King Felix. He was as good as I’ve ever seen.”

- Boston right fielder Cody Ross

“He pitched extremely, extremely well. Aggressive in the strike zone, consistent with all three pitches, throwing them anytime in the count. In and out, up and down, it was some pretty good stuff. It’s what you teach.”

- Bobby Valentine, Boston manager

“That wasn’t human, man.”

- Boston designated hitter David Ortiz

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the American League. But I didn’t think about him. I thought I would just pitch my game. I just tried to make my pitches. King Felix threw very good tonight. That’s the game, man.”

- Boston starting pitcher Franklin Morales

“This year, this is the best game that I’ve thrown. I was throwing a lot of strikes and all the pitches were working.”

- Felix Hernandez

“I felt pretty good today. All my pitches were working, I was down in the zone, I was throwing strikes. That’s me right there. That was the best game I’ve thrown this year.”

- Felix Hernandez

“I’m throwing more strikes. I was getting ahead of hitters and mixing in breaking balls. The fastball has more life right now, so I feel pretty good.”

- Felix Hernandez

“Unbelievable. That’s my best game this year, and the guys played great defense behind me. We needed that win. We needed it.”

- Felix Hernandez

“I felt great, I had could life on my fastball, my breaking pitch was sharp, my changeup was good. All my pitches were working.”

-Felix Hernandez

Video Rewind – Felix and the Walk-Off

Last night was one of those memorable night’s at the ballpark that fans will remember for a long time. Whether it was the dominating performance by Felix Hernandez, in which he tied his career-high with 13 strikeouts, or the great catches by Casper Wells and Michael Saunders in the outfield, and of course the walk-off single by John Jaso to deliver a 1-0 victory over Boston.

Here are some video highlight’s of last night’s 1-0 victory over the Red Sox:

Felix Strikes Out 13 Red Sox:

Jaso’s Walk-Off Pinch-Hit Single:

Felix Hernandez pumps his fists after striking out a career-high-tying 13 batters in a 1-0 shuout win over the Red Sox. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Felix’s Career Double-Digits Strikeout Games:

Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str GSc
2012-06-28 SEA BOS W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 5 0 0 1 13 0 128 84 89
2011-05-22 SEA SDP W 6-1 GS-8 ,W 8.0 6 1 1 0 13 0 114 75 79
2010-08-10 SEA OAK W 2-0 GS-8 ,W 8.0 5 0 0 1 13 0 110 75 84
2012-04-19 SEA CLE L 1-2 GS-8 8.0 5 0 0 1 12 0 126 75 83
2011-08-07 SEA LAA L 1-2 CG 8 ,L 8.0 4 2 2 0 12 1 98 70 78
2007-04-02 SEA OAK W 4-0 GS-8 ,W 8.0 3 0 0 2 12 0 111 77 86
2011-06-02 SEA TBR W 8-2 GS-7 ,W 7.0 5 1 1 2 11 0 97 64 72
2010-08-20 SEA NYY W 6-0 GS-8 ,W 8.0 4 0 0 3 11 0 117 74 82
2010-06-30 SEA NYY W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 2 0 0 3 11 0 115 76 91
2009-09-24 SEA TOR W 5-4 GS-8 ,W 8.0 7 4 3 2 11 1 108 77 63
2005-08-15 SEA KCR W 11-3 GS-8 ,W 8.0 3 1 1 1 11 0 99 67 82
2012-06-23 SEA SDP W 5-1 GS-7 ,W 7.0 6 1 1 1 10 0 94 64 70
2011-08-24 SEA CLE W 9-2 GS-6 ,W 6.0 7 2 2 2 10 0 106 72 58
2011-07-05 SEA OAK W 4-2 GS-8 8.0 4 1 1 0 10 1 122 81 80
2011-06-24 SEA FLA W 5-1 GS-8 ,W 8.0 2 1 1 2 10 0 115 76 82
2011-05-01 SEA BOS L 2-3 GS-7 7.0 6 2 2 1 10 0 111 72 66
2009-08-12 SEA CHW W 1-0 GS-7 7.0 6 0 0 4 10 0 105 67 71
2009-05-24 SEA SFG W 5-4 GS-8 ,W 8.0 7 4 1 1 10 1 112 83 67
2008-04-27 SEA OAK L 2-4 GS-7 ,L 7.0 6 4 4 4 10 0 115 75 55

Tweet of the Night:

- JE

Video Rewind – Vargas Notches Another 10 Strikeout Game

For the third time in four days, a Mariners starting pitcher recorded double-digits in strikeouts last night. Jason Vargas tied his career-high with 10 punchouts, joining rotation-mates Felix Hernandez (10 Saturday at SD) and Erasmo Ramirez (10 Monday vs. OAK).

How long had it been for the Mariners to record the baseball-rarity of back-to-back games with starting pitchers recording 10+ strikeouts? Well, the answer is almost 13 years! You have to go all the way back to Aug. 23-24, 1999 when Paul Abbott and Freddy Garcia notched consecutive starts with 12 strikeouts.

And here is another interesting note to put things in perspective. With Felix, Erasmo and Jason all recording 10 strikeouts in a 4-game stretch, the Mariners became the first team to have a trio of starters each with double-digits in strikeouts over a 4-game stretch since the Arizona Diamondbacks Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2003: Randy Johnson – 11 K, Brandon Webb – 11 K, Curt Schilling – 10 K.

Here is a video look at the three 10-strikeout games:

Felix Dominates San Diego:

Erasmo Strikes Out 10 A’s:

Vargas Ties Career-High with 10 Strikeouts:

- JE

Video Rewind – Erasmo Ramirez’s Big Night

Erasmo Ramirez struck out 10 batters last night, while allowing only 3 hits and 1 run in a career-high 8.0 innings. Despite picking up the tough-luck loss, Erasmo became the 8th rookie (17th time) in club history to record a double-digit strikeout performance, and the first since Michael Pineda last season vs. Tampa Bay (7/30/11).

He joins a pretty elite list of Mariners rookies to record a double-digit strikeout game, with the likes of Freddy Garcia (4x), Mark Langston (4x), Randy Johnson (3x), Byron McLaughlin (2x), Erik Hanson, Felix Hernandez (8/15/05 vs. KC) and Pineda already members of the Rookie K Club. He also joins Yu Darvish (3x), Christian Friedrich and Matt Moore as the only rookies in the Majors this season to strike out 10 batters in a game.

Here is a video of his performance last night…


Mariners Rookies with 10+ Strikeouts:

Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO
Erasmo Ramirez 2012-06-25 SEA OAK L 0-1 GS-8 ,L 8.0 3 1 1 1 10
Michael Pineda 2011-07-30 SEA TBR W 3-2 GS-7 ,W 6.1 1 2 1 4 10
Felix Hernandez 2005-08-15 SEA KCR W 11-3 GS-8 ,W 8.0 3 1 1 1 11
Freddy Garcia 1999-08-24 SEA DET W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 6 0 0 1 12
Freddy Garcia 1999-08-07 SEA NYY L 0-1 CG 9 ,L 9.0 3 1 1 3 10
Freddy Garcia 1999-08-02 SEA TBD W 4-0 GS-8 ,W 7.2 6 0 0 1 10
Freddy Garcia 1999-07-09 SEA LAD L 0-5 GS-5 ,L 5.0 6 4 4 4 10
Randy Johnson 1989-09-27 SEA CLE L 1-4 GS-8 ,L 7.1 5 4 4 2 11
Randy Johnson 1989-09-21 SEA TEX W 8-3 GS-8 ,W 8.0 7 3 3 2 10
Randy Johnson 1989-07-23 SEA TOR W 5-2 CG 9 ,W 9.0 5 2 1 3 12
Erik Hanson 1988-09-16 SEA MIL L 1-5 GS-8 ,L 8.0 8 5 5 1 11
Mark Langston 1984-08-29 SEA DET W 5-1 CG 9 ,W 9.0 2 1 1 4 12
Mark Langston 1984-08-19 SEA DET W 4-1 GS-9 ,W 8.1 4 1 1 4 11
Mark Langston 1984-07-17 SEA MIL W 3-1 GS-8 ,W 8.0 2 1 1 5 12
Mark Langston 1984-06-15 SEA TEX W 4-3 GS-8 8.0 4 3 3 4 12
Byron McLaughlin 1978-09-17 SEA CHW W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9.0 3 1 0 4 10
Byron McLaughlin 1978-04-25 SEA CAL L 0-3 GS-7 ,L 6.0 6 3 3 4 10

- JE

Felix At-Bat on June 23

There must be something about June 23 that Felix Hernandez enjoys…when he steps into the batter’s box…

On June 23, 2008, Felix Hernandez hit a grand slam off Johan Santana against the New York Mets (Getty Images)

Felix hit a 2-run double tonight (June 23, 2012) at San Diego. (Getty Images)

Mariners Lineup vs. Reds

The Mariners face the Reds today in Cactus League play at 1:05 p.m. at Peoria Stadium. Felix Hernandez will make his first spring start today.

Cactus League Report & Mariners Mondays

Cactus League Report:
The Cactus League Report makes its Salty Señorita debut tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Peoria location. Rick Rizzs, Dave Sims and Shannon Drayer will host the 2-hour show, and fans in the Valley of the Sun are invited to attended the radio show and meet the hosts and guests. Scheduled guests include Tony Blengino, Robby Thompson, Forrest Snow, Danny Hultzen, Shawn Kelley, Kyle Seager and Larry Stone from the Seattle Times. Fans can listen to the show in Seattle on ESPN 710 Seattle from 7-9 PT, and here is a link to listen online via Mariners.com.

Mariners Mondays:
Tonight on Mariners Mondays at 8pm on ROOT SPORTS, the Mariners turn on the offense.

The program includes highlights of two games from last August, both featuring some timely hitting by Mike Carp.

First up, August 29, Mariners vs. Angels. The Mariners and Angels are tied in the 8th inning at 3-3. Dustin Ackley, who already had a couple of hits and RBI, lead off the inning with a double. Carp sent the first pitch he saw into the Hit It Here Cafe in right field for a two-run homer. Final score, Mariners over Angels 5-3.

Mike Carp hit a 2-run home run vs. the Angels into the Hit it Here Cafe in right field Aug. 29, 2011. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Ichiro also had two doubles and extended his hitting streak to a season high 12-games.

Rookie Tom Wilhelmsen got the win with one inning of relief.

Highlights of the second game, August 31 (again against the Angels), again featured some late inning heroics by Carp.

The Angels held a 1-0 lead behind the outstanding pitching of Dan Haren. Felix Hernandez is also pitching well, but the offense is stalled. In the 8th inning (again), the Mariners rally with two outs when Franklin Gutierrez and Ackley hit back-to-back singles to end Haren’s night. Carp stepped up to the plate against reliever Scott Downs and drilled a two-run double to the base of the wall in left-center field.

Felix held the 2-1 lead, got the win and a complete game, his fifth of the season, and 18th of his career.

Next week on Mariners Mondays, Big Comebacks.

- RH/JE

Mariners Spring Training Update – Day 8

Day 8 / Sunday, February 19, 2012 / 37 Days ‘til Opening Night in Tokyo / 53 Days ‘til Opening Night in Seattle

Weather: It was 52-degrees and windy this morning but the temperatures rose to 64-degrees by the end of the workout. There were plenty of media members who were shaking after forgetting their jackets.

Quote of the Day:  “Where’s your camera?” Felix Hernandez said to ROOT SPORTS Jen Mueller. Mueller jokingly asked why he was doing a KING 5 interview (with Chris Egan) before doing the ROOT interview. After Jen pointed across the parking lot to the auxiliary clubhouse Felix exclaimed “TOO FAR!” as he continued to walk with Egan.

Tweet of the Day:

The Day: Day 8 was the first day of live batting practice. The first group of hitters, including Franklin Gutierrez, Ichiro, Mike Carp and Justin Smoak, had to face the ace of the staff Felix Hernandez.

Franklin Gutierrez

None of the four players made contact against any of Felix’s pitches…which was probably because nobody swung at any of the pitches. While players are not under instructions not to swing (on some fields), most hitters use the first day to track pitches as they are coming in and ease back in to live pitching.

Felix got a bit of a scare earlier in the day during infield drills as Miguel Olivo fired a throw down to second base and while he didn’t see it, the ball was traveling fast enough (and close enough) for him to hear it whiz by.

One player who did swing on the first day of live batting practice was Casper Wells. With Charlie Furbush on the mound, Wells hit a screamer back to the box that went beween Charlie’s legs. While no players were harmed on that line drive, Charlie’s heart most certainly skipped a beat.

Early in the workout over on Field 6, all of the position players worked on baserunning, the infielders took grounders and the outfielders worked on tracking line drives before spreading out to various fields.

Carlos Guillen takes throws at first base

On Field 3, the catchers (and infielders) worked on first-and-third defense before the position players grabbed bats.

On Field 3 (where Felix Hernandez was) and 5, hitters were allowed to swing at the pitches. On Field 4 there was also live batting practice, but the hitters were not allowed to swing because there were also baserunning drills going on. Position players also worked on bunting in the cages and in the bullpen while over on Field 6, the coaches threw BP for the players towards the end of the workout.

The marketing group of Michael Ferguson, Nick Pope and Olav Nossum showed up in the wee hours of the day once again to get green screen footage and through three full days have now completed their work with 29 of the 67 players in camp. Tomorrow, Shawn Kelley, Chone Figgins, Felix Hernandez, Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Carp (among others) are schedule for their close-ups.

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- FA

Mariners Spring Training Update – Day 5

Day 5 / Thursday, February 16, 2012 / 40 Days ‘til Opening Night in Tokyo / 56 Days ‘til Opening Night in Seattle

Weather: Not a cloud in the sky during workouts as the temperatures hovered in the lower to mid-60’s.

Quote of the Day:  “Heads Up!” – Players and coaches yelled to General Manager Jack Zduriencik warning him after infielder Vinnie Catricala hit a scorching line drive that nearly hit the golf cart Jack was riding in. This following a shot down the line that almost took out a group of photographers.

Vinnie Catricala

The Day: Day 5 was very similar to day 4, with pitchers taking PFP (Pitcher’s Fielding Practice), while half the pitchers had a throwing session in the bullpen. Starters Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas and Blake Beavan threw their third bullpen session, while a crowd of coaches and media stayed and watched pitchers Stephen Pryor, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker and James Paxton throw in the bullpen as well.

So far 60 of the 66 players invited to Major League camp have been spotted around the complex. The position players will officially report tomorrow for physicals, while the first full squad workout is on Saturday.

Infielder Vinnie Catricala impressed many of the coaches during his BP session this afternoon. Besides nearly taking of the GM and half the photographers watching, he was hitting the ball all over field. Looks like he is picking up exactly where he left off at the end of last year. Catricala was named the Mariners Minor League Player of the Year in 2011, after hitting .349 (182×521) with 101 runs scored, 77 extra-base (2B – 48, 3B – 4, HR – 25) and 106 RBI in 133 games combined between A High Desert and AA Jackson. Among full season minor leaguers he ranked 2nd in extra-base hits, 3rd in hits, T3rd in doubles, T4th in batting average and T9th in RBI.

Tweet of the Day:

Carlos Peguero wins the award for longest drive of the day. He launched a mammoth shot that hit the 32-foot-high batter’s eye in center field 410-feet away to highlight BP. Not sure if the ball bounced back to the field or got stuck in the chain-link fence.

A group of 35 of the Mariners top Minor League players are in camp today for physicals to take part in the team’s annual mini camp for many of top lower-level prospects. The first workout for mini-camp players is tomorrow and workouts will run through March 1. Mini-camp is an opportunity for players to receive one-on-one instruction from the coaching staff and work on improvement plans for Spring Training and the rest of the 2012 season.  Among players taking part in the mini camp are highly regarded prospects right-handed pitchers Victor Sanchez and Carter Capps, catcher Marcus Littlewood, infielders Brad Miller and Cavan Cohoes and outfielders Guillermo Pimentel, Phillips Castillo and Jabari Blash.

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- KM

Mariners Spring Training Update – Day 4

Day 4 / Wednesday, February 15, 2012 / 41 Days ‘til Opening Night in Tokyo / 57 Days ‘til Opening Night in Seattle

Weather: The weather was a little chilly again today but warmed up by the end of the workout. A high of 65-degrees is expected later today and it is supposed to be 70-degrees tomorrow.

Quote of the Day:  “Guante. Guante! That’s my word for the day. Guante! Guante!” – Brendan Ryan, on his way off the practice field cradling his new glove in his arms. Guante is the Spanish word for glove.

The Day: While it might feel like groundhog day here during the early part of Spring Training, you can always find, see or hear something new and today was no exception. There was a lot of energy on Field 3 as the pitchers and some infielders (not all first baseman) worked on covering first base on a ball hit to the first baseman.

Munenori Kawasaki PFP

Infielder Munenori Kawasaki was very vocal on the field, shouting out commands in both English and Japanese to pitchers covering first base. He could also be seen patting a pitcher on the back for a job well done and generally providing energy for the team, much like Brendan Ryan does.

Kawasaki played on Team Japan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic tournament, and while there were several stars on that team that included Ichiro, Hisashi Iwakuma and Yu Darvish, people say that Kawasaki was the “heart and soul” of the team.

Out on Field 6, some outfielders including Carlos Peguero, Michael Saunders and Trayvon Robinson worked on tracking down fly balls while other position players prepared to hit in the cage.

Inside the clubhouse, there were plenty of laughs around Felix Hernandez‘s locker. Turns out the Mariners TV commercial scripts arrived today and Brendan Ryan was sitting at Felix’s locker, reading the script aloud as various players including Felix, Dustin Ackley and Brandon League couldn’t stop laughing.

The Mariners marketing crew will arrive in Peoria tomorrow and will begin preparations for all their commercial and in-game entertainment shoots.

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- FA

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