King Felix Keeps Amazing Streak Going With Shutout of Twins

Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez smiles after finishing his complete-game shutout of the Minnesota Twins. (Jim Mone)

Tonight, the Seattle Mariners traveled to Target Field to take on the Minnesota Twins. Two very different pitchers were on the mound. The Mariners had their ace Felix Hernandez ready to go. Hernandez is of course one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and is only twelve days removed from throwing a perfect game. The Twins countered with a young, 23-year-old Aussie named Liam Hendriks. Hendriks has had his ups and downs this season as a starting pitcher. He has been sent back down to Triple-A twice this year and is still looking for his first major league win in 14 career starts.

As the game got underway, Hernandez quickly found his cruise control. Unexpectedly, Hendriks began to match him pitch for pitch. Both had shutouts going through seven innings of work. Hendriks had only needed 68 pitches to make it through his first six innings. He was locked in as never before. In the top of the eighth inning, Hendriks made one small mistake. He threw a fastball that caught a little bit too much of the plate. The problem is that the batter, Mariners right fielder Eric Thames, got enough of it to hit it out of the park for a solo home run. Meanwhile, Hernandez finished off what he started. In the bottom of the ninth, he induced a double play ball off the bat of Twins first baseman Justin Morneau to seal the Mariners 1-0 victory.

While Hernandez does have the ability to blow one away with his fastball, he also has the ability to use finesse and control to get the job done. The latter is what he did tonight. King Felix induced a staggering 16 ground ball outs compared to only five strikeouts and three flyouts. Mariners shortstop Brandon Ryan, who gets to observe from behind the working ace, explained how it works to reporters after the game. He said, "It's a different kind of great. He's not trying to throw 96 by you. He's letting the action and location dictate."

King Felix has been incredibly dominate lately, but it is not just because of this performance or the perfect game he threw. Over his last fourteen starts, Hernandez is 9-0 with a 1.40 ERA and five shutouts. No other pitcher in baseball even has an ERA of under 2.00 during this span. In his last 109 inning pitched, King Felix has only given up two home runs.  No other pitcher has given up that few even in a minimum of 60 innings pitched. Hernandez's five shutouts since mid-June is the most any Major League pitcher has thrown in an entire season since Tim Belcher in 1989.

Hendriks pitched the game of a lifetime matching one of the best in baseball. He might not have earned his first major league win, but this performance has to build his confidence as a pitcher. Hendriks has nothing to be ashamed of for how he pitched in any way. Meanwhile, King Felix continues to pitch unbelievably well. His current streak is not only dominant, but historic in many different ways. One can consider so many amazing statistical accomplishments of Hernandez. One last one to consider is that in his 27 starts this season, he has given up one earned run or less in 16 of those starts. King Felix is no doubt one of the best pitchers in baseball. He reminded us why once again tonight.

King Felix Earns Perfect Coronation

Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez celebrates the final out of his perfect game, the 23rd one thrown in baseball history. (Ted S. Warren)

Felix Hernandez is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. His pitching prowess has earned him the nickname of King Felix. Despite being an excellent pitcher, the only outstanding accomplishment Hernandez had received was the 2010 AL Cy Young Award. Pitching for the Mariners doesn't help your odds of winning a World Series ring. That meant the biggest accomplishment out their for King Felix to go after was pitching a perfect game. Hernandez has long admitted his desire to pitch perfection, but try after try had come up short.

Hernandez took the mound this afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rays leadoff hitter Sam Fuld got a hold of pitch, but Mariners right fielder Eric Thames tracked it down on the warning track in right center field. In the fifth inning, Rays stud third baseman Evan Longoria hit a line drive, but it was directly at Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley. Other than those two instances, Hernandez had little difficulty staying perfect through five innings.

King Felix struck out the side in the sixth inning. With two outs in the seventh inning, Rays manager Joe Maddon came out to argue an arbitrary strike one call to try and mess up Hernandez's rhythm. After Maddon's ejection, King Felix got Rays right fielder Matt Joyce to hit an inning-ending groundout on a full count. After a long delay, Hernandez showed no signs of wavering in the eighth inning when he struck out the side for the second time in three innings.

In the ninth inning, King Felix first faced two pinch hitters in outfielder Desmond Jennings and utility man Jeff Keppinger. Jennings struck out on a fastball low in the zone, and Keppinger grounded out to short for the second out. It seemed as though every member of the Safeco Field home crowd rose to their feet, if they weren't already. Their man was on the brink of perfection. Rays third baseman Sean Rodriguez got ahead in the count 2-0. Hernandez took a stroll off the mound to collect himself before returning to pitch. The next two pitches were breaking balls for strikes. King Felix completed perfection with a called third strike on his 113th pitch of the game.

Hernandez pitched the 23rd perfect game in baseball history and amazingly the third this season, joining Philip Humber and Matt Cain. On June 8, six Mariners pitchers combined for a no-hitter of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mariners became the first team to have a combined no-hitter and a perfect game pitched in the same season. Hernandez, the Venezuelan-born hero, became just the second pitcher born outside of the United States to pitch a perfect game (Nicaraguan Dennis Martinez became the first in 1991). He has worked hard to deserve this distinction. King Felix has finally earned one of the crowning jewels that every pitcher so badly desires. I wish to offer him congratulations on this deserved accomplishment.

Yankees Acquire Veteran Ichiro Suzuki from Mariners

Veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki made his debut as a New York Yankee before his former home crowd in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson)

Ichiro Suzuki was already a legend in Japan before coming to the United States. When he signed with the Seattle Mariners, no one could be completely sure how he would do transitioning to Major League Baseball. Well as they say, the rest is history. Ichiro became MLB's first Japanese-born position player, was named the American League's MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001, has the all-time single-season hit record, won two AL batting titles, won ten Gold Gloves, and had ten consecutive seasons with 200 hits. It is safe to say that he will be a Hall of Famer in Cooperstown someday.

But now at this stage in his career, Ichiro is nearing retirement. He is 38 years old and in the last year of his contract. Meanwhile, the Mariners are in full fledged rebuilding mode. As much as Ichiro loves playing for the Mariners, both he and the team knew it would be in both of their best interests if he was traded. When exploring options for a trade, the Mariners knew they wanted to reward Ichiro by trading him to a contender.

The New York Yankees have been playing great baseball, but about a week ago they found out that their speedy left fielder Brett Gardner would need season-ending elbow surgery. They immediately started looking for a low-cost, temporary replacement. Ichiro was an excellent option for them. With his age and being in the last year of his contract, the Mariners weren't looking for a ton in return.

On Friday afternoon, the Mariners agreed to trade Ichiro to the Yankees for reliever D.J. Mitchell and minor league pitcher Danny Farquhar. The Mariners got a couple young pitchers in return, which is what they were looking for. The Yankees got the low-risk, high-reward veteran they were looking for. They gave up little to acquire Ichiro. In return, they got a good hitter, who still runs and fields his position well. By joining the Yankees, Ichiro has a chance to do something he has never done before, win a World Series.

I really think the Yankees did well here. Even though Ichiro has declined over the past several seasons, one has to believe his numbers will improve by playing in the Yankees' lineup and home games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have done well with the seasoned veterans they have acquired the past several seasons. Ichiro might be the best one yet. If he can even regain a fraction of his former top form, the Yankees could be reaping the benefits in the postseason.

Aaron Hill's Cycle Helps Lead Diamondbacks to Victory

Aaron Hill is congratulated by teammate Jason Kubel following his home
run that completed his cycle in the seventh inning. (Jennifer Stewart)

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill started his game off quietly with a single off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Hector Noesi in the first inning. In the third inning, Hill returned to the plate and belted a ball to the warning track, which he turned into a triple. A few whispers from fans keeping score might have been released into the hot evening air of Chase Field. Sure enough, when Hill returned to the plate in the fifth inning, he ripped a ball down the left field line for a double. Soon, everyone was aware that Hill was only a home run away from the cycle. His opportunity came in the seventh inning. Hill got a pitch from Mariners reliever Shawn Kelly that he crushed to deep left for a no doubt about it home run.

Hill became the second MLB player to hit for a cycle so far this season. The first was when New York Met Scott Hairston did it against the Colorado Rockies on April 27. For a long time, people have compared hitting for a cycle and throwing a no-hitter as similar in difficulty. This is because there have been 294 cycles and 272 no-hitters total in MLB history. So far this season, we have had five no-hitters and just two cycles. That trend is similar to the past two seasons. Last season, there were three no-hitters and two cycles. In 2010, there were six no-hitters and four cycles. The 2009 season was the last time there was more cycles than no-hitters, when there was eight cycles and just two no-hitters.

Do you think you know all about the history of cycles in MLB? See if you can answer these trivia questions to complete a cycle of your own. The answers will be posted in the comments section of this blog post.

Single: What is the special term used for when a player hits for a single, double, triple, and home run it that exact order?
Double: Name one of the nine players to hit a grand slam as the home run of their cycle.
Triple:  Name one of the five players to hit a walk-off home run as the final hit of their cycle.
Home Run: Name one of the three players to hit for a record three cycles in their MLB careers. (You hit a grand slam if you can name all three.)

Six Mariners Pitchers Combine For No-Hitter

Mariners starting pitcher Kevin Millwood on the mound. (Otto Greule, Jr.)

No pitcher wants to leave his start early when he has a no-hitter going. Just think about Johan Santana last weekend. Despite his pitch count for the game, he was determined to finish what he started. Probably the only way you can get a pitcher to leave the game if he has a no-hitter going is injury. Unfortunately, that is what happened to Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Kevin Millwood.

Millwood was on the mound tonight for the Mariners facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had his stuff working tonight. Through six innings, Millwood had given up no hits, while walking just one batter and striking out six. While warming up prior to the seventh inning, he felt a twinge in his groin. Milwood felt as though he had no choice but to walk off the field.

Over the next three innings, the Mariners used five relievers in their effort to preserve Millwood's no-hitter. In the eighth inning, the Dodgers earned a pair of leadoff walk. A sacrifice moved the runners to second and third with just one out. The Mariners elected to bring in demoted closer Brandon League. League was clutch getting A.J. Ellis to line out and then struck out Tony Gwynn to end the threat. Tom Wilhelmsen came in closed out the no-hitter in the ninth. It wasn't necessarily pretty, but they got the job done. The combined no-hitter was the tenth in MLB history. The combined pitchers tonight for the Mariners were Kevin Millwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, and Tom Wilhelmsen. These Mariners deserve to be commended. They picked each other up when they needed to. They demonstrated true team spirit and effort in their historic feat.