Félix Hernández

At 19 years, 118 days, he was the youngest pitcher to appear in the major leagues since José Rijo in 1984.

Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher.

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 that 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., 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.

The following year, Hernández came to the United States and began pitching in the Mariners' minor league system.

In 2003, Hernández tore through Class-A with a 7–2 mark in Everett and Wisconsin.

Returning to his native Venezuela to pitch in the winter league there, he held his own at 17 years of age against competition that included established major league players.

Hernández was named the Mariners' minor league pitcher of the year in 2004, a season that also saw him make an appearance in the Futures Game.

He started with Inland Empire in the California League, before being promoted to Double-A San Antonio, and finished a combined 14–4 with a 2.95 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 149 innings pitched.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019.

At the beginning of 2005, Baseball America listed him as the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball and No. 2 overall behind Joe Mauer.

Hernández continued his success in 2005 with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League, posting a 9–4 record with a league-leading 2.25 ERA and 100 strikeouts in just 88 innings.

He was selected for the Triple-A All-Star Game but did not participate as he spent a month on the disabled list with shoulder bursitis.

He was also named the PCL Rookie of the Year and PCL Pitcher of the Year.

Hernández was dubbed "King Felix" by the U.S.S. Mariner fan blog during his minor league years.

Soon after returning from his injury, Hernández was called up to the major leagues by the Mariners.

He made his debut on August 4, 2005, in a 3–1 loss in a road game against the Detroit Tigers.

Hernández earned his first major league win in his next outing on August 9, 2005, pitching eight shutout innings in a 1–0 victory at home over the Minnesota Twins.

Over his first several starts, he registered a streak of 112 batters faced before he allowed his first extra-base hit, a double by Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox.

In 12 starts, Hernández posted a 4–4 record with 77 strikeouts and a 2.67 ERA.

With innings pitched, he exhausted his rookie eligibility.

After the season, he became the focus of a disagreement over the possibility of his pitching in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Although Hernández was placed on a provisional roster by his native Venezuela, the Mariners objected, citing his earlier injury and expressing concern about the stress on his arm from adding this competition to the demands of a full season in the major leagues at such a young age.

Their appeal to the WBC technical committee was eventually upheld.

When he arrived in the major leagues, Hernández was given uniform number 59.

In 2006, he switched to number 34, the same number Freddy García (since traded to the Chicago White Sox) had worn as a Mariner.

On August 15, 2012, Hernández threw the 23rd perfect game in MLB 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.

His perfect game remained the most recent in Major League Baseball until Domingo Germán's perfect game in 2023.

Hernández's 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.

On April 23, 2016, Hernández claimed the record for most strikeouts by a Mariners pitcher when 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.