What A King Can Do By The Sea

 

 

 

He was a quality pitcher who threw flames instead of balls for strikes. His fastball smoked. His team didn’t just rely on him, then RELIED on him. He was the ultimate stopper. It is not just his overwhelming fastball that is the secret. It is the two-seam fastball that dances the way Baryshnikov moved on the ballet floor.  That and a hard curve, a devastating change-up and with a great slider and you have the perfect storm for a perfect game.

This past Wednesday, August 15, 2012 to be exact, Félix Abraham Hernández García better known as “King Felix” pitched his way into the Hall fo Fame as he threw the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history against the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco  Field in Seattle, in a 1-0 victory. And with it, by the end of the week, his Seattle Mariners had won their 20th victory (against 13 losses) since the All-Star game, the second best winning record in the American League during that time span.

Like Baryshnikov who could dance his way to stardom at an early age on stages of Russia and then in the United States, Hernandez born in Valencia, Venezuela, could throw a fastball 90 mph when he was 14 years old. By the age of 16, the Seattle Mariners signed him to a Major League Baseball contract. That was number sixteen, as in 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16.  Not that he was the youngest ever to be signed and played. That belongs to Joe Nuxhall who was 15 years, 10 months and 11 days old when he first stepped foot on a mound in The Show for the Cincinnati Reds in a 1944 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He lost in that first appearance. But after all, he was a 6’3″ ninth grader a the time. And it was in the middle of WW II.

Regardless of age, “King Felix” has defied all the odds and averaged over 200 innings pitched in his last 7 years on the mound showing what ‘great’ is all about. His durability has been superb in an era when starting pitchers go down with injury all of the time. This three-time All-Star and 2010 American League Cy Young  Award winner, has averaged 8+ strikeouts per game over his entire career. And now he has the only perfect game for the Seattle Mariners in their history.

That’s a big deal when you consider Randy Johnson pitched for the Mariners. Jamie Moyer, in his prime, pitched for the Mariners. Mark Langston pitched for the Mariners. Each of them pitched over 1190 innings for the Mariners. But Felix Hernandez leads them all in ERA (3.17), well ahead of Randy Johnson (3.42), Moyer (3.97) or Langston (4.01). He is #1 in walks & hits per innings pitched (1.203) for the Mariners. That only 1 hit or walk per inning pitched in his entire career. That’s astonishing.

Is he the greatest Mariner pitcher of all time?

He has pitched 300 inning fewer than Johnson. Randy is sure to go into the Hall of Fame. So by the time Felix reaches that point of  more than 1839 innings pitched in his career as a Mariner (he has pitched in 1568 through Wednesday), time will tell.

But right now, The Puget Palooza, the best pitcher in the American League if not all of baseball, is “King Felix”. He’s got the stuff that make him a show in THE SHOW. And if you don’t believe that, name another who even comes close to the stuff he has.

What a Wednesday he brought us, Seattle and all of baseball.

Mikhail Baryshnikov once said “It doesn’t matter how high your lift your leg. The technique is about transparent, simplicity and making an earnest attempt”. Trust me. Felix Hernandez understands that completely.

If Seattle pulls off the improbable this season and keeps up the good playing that they have shown over the past month or so, they will be riding on the shoulders, arm and yes, legs, of the “King”. And that’s what a King can do by the SEA.

Play Ball!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Perfect Game. There Used To Be A Ballpark…

When Matt Cain pitched a perfect game at AT&T Park in San Francisco this week, he became the 22nd perfect game hurler in the history of major league baseball and the first Giant ever to accomplish such a feat in the club’s 128 year history. It seems that every month this season, someone is throwing a no-hitter. Why?

It got me thinking about an old Frank Sinatra song, written by Joe Paposo titled “There Used To Be A Ballpark”.  As he sang it, “Oh, there used to be a ball park where the field was warm and green, and the people played a crazy game with a joy I’ve never seen.”

In the days gone by, the ballparks seemed bigger. Sure, I was smaller and everything looked larger. But there was the Polo Grounds where Willie made his famous catch off of a Vic Wertz smash into deep centerfield during the 1954 World Series. That year center field was 483 feet from home plate (it had been moved in from 505 feet in 1949). Imagine, a center field that deep. In fact, in the entire history of the game at the Polo Grounds, only four players ever hit a home run over the center field wall. They were Luke Easter, when he was playing in the Negro Leagues in 1948 before he came up with the Cleveland Indians; Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves on April 29, 1953. Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals did it on June 17, 1962 and Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves was the last player to do it on June 18, 1962. There is no ball park in the majors today to match these dimensions.

“How the people watched with wonder, how they laughed and how they cheered. Yes, there used to be a ball park…right here.”

Yet the Polo Grounds also had two short porches in left and right field. In left, only 279 feet allowed Bobby Thompson hit the ‘Shot Heard ‘Round The World’ in the famous 1951 playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers as the Giants went on to win the National League title. “The Giants win. The Giants win.” Down the right field line, it measured only 258 feet.

“And the air was such a wonder, from the hot dogs and the beer. Yes, there used to be a ballpark, right here.”

In modern times, Legendary Hall of Famer pitcher, Carl Hubble of the Giants threw a no-hitter in the newer version of the Polo Grounds (version IV from 06/28/1911 thru 09/19/1963) on May 8, 1929. Three Pirates reached base on two errors and a walk. No perfect game. On September 9, 1948, Rex Barney of the Dodgers hurled a no-hitter against the Giants at the Polo Grounds.  Again the three runners reach base for the Giants on one error and two walks, but no perfect game.

“And there used to be rock candy and a great big Fourth of July. With fireworks exploding all across the summer sky.”

Now, in the season of no-hitters every week, the Giants have their first perfect game in history. But they play in the modern ball parks that major league clubs call home. They are all smaller with nearly all having equidistant dimensions. AT&T has a centerfield that measures 399 feet from home plate. That’s a 9 iron for most golfers. Safeco Field in Seattle, where the center field is 405 feet from home, this past week saw six Mariner hurlers, including Kevin Milwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom wilhelmsen combine for a no-hitter and  in April on the 21st, Safeco fans saw a perfect game by Chicago White Sox pitcher Phillip Humber against the Mariners. On June 1st, at Citi Field in New York, another no-hitter was thrown this season where the center field is 408 feet from home. This time it was by Johan Santana against the St. Louis Cardinals. On May 2nd, Jered Weaver fired a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins 9-0 in Anaheim at Angels Stadium where center field is a mere 400 feet from home.

“And all the people watched in wonder, how they’d laugh and how they’d cheer. And there used to be a ballpark, right here.”

Why so many no-hitters and perfect games this season? Five no-no’s are unheard of. My theory is this: Pitchers have become used to the ‘standard stadium size’. In this era of balanced teams, ground balls are in abundance because of sinkers, two seam snapper’s and limited space in the outfield where bigger ballparks would force outfielder’s to play deeper than they do today. How many center fielder’s do you see creeping up into shallow center field taking away the Texas leaguer? How many long one’s do you see over the head of the center fielder today? Smaller ballparks bring the speedy outfielders in closer thus eliminating a number of hits that would drop in at fields like the Polo Grounds, Forbes Field, old Yankee Stadium, Brigg’s Stadium or Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium.

“Now the children try to find it and they can’t believe their eyes ’cause the old team just isn’t playing. And the new team hardly tries.”

For those who say bigger parks created a better atmosphere for pitchers where no-hitters could be had, check the records. Now you can have center fielder’s hitting below the Mendoza Line but they are faster than a guy whose hair is on fire. Today in The Show, speed kills. And before the season is over, at this rate we will have 15 no hitters with 6 perfect games. Citi moved in their fences this season and you already have had a no-hitter in that ball park. It’s time to rethink the dimensions of the ballparks.

And the sky has got so cloudy when it used to be so clear. And the summer went so quickly this year. Yes, there used to be a ballpark, right here.”

For me, I love the home run and the grace and elegance of a triple is terrific. Doubles in the gap are nice. I love the chance of seeing the ball go beyond the reach of the outfielders. That is becoming more and more difficult in today’s game.

Ya Frank. There used to be a ballpark, right here.