News
Felix finishes second in pursuit of Cy
Mariners ace garners two first-place votes, falls to Greinke
By Jim Street / MLB.com
11/17/09 3:08 PM EST
The breakout season Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez had this past season almost landed him the most coveted honor in baseball for a pitcher.
The 24-year-old finished second to Royals right-hander Zack Greinke in the American League's Cy Young Award race.
"Hats off to Greinke, because he had a great season," Mariners pitching coach Rick Adair said on Tuesday, "but in my opinion, Felix was the best pitcher in the American League."
A panel of 28 voters, consisting of two members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America from each AL city, disagreed and overwhelmingly selected Greinke. The right-hander received 25 first-place votes, three second-place votes and one third-place vote for 134 points.
Hernandez received two first-place votes, 23 second-place votes and one third-place vote for 80 points. The Tigers' Justin Verlander was a distant third place with one first-place vote and 14 points, while Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and Blue Jays right-hander Roy Halladay also picked up points.
But it turned out to be a two-way race between Greinke and Hernandez, who would have joined Randy Johnson as the only pitcher in Mariners history to win the coveted award. Johnson was a landslide winner in 1995 after posting an 18-2 record and leading Seattle to its first AL West championship.
Hernandez, who is at his home in Venezuela, was not available for comment.
Adair said he was happy for Greinke and the Royals, who landed their third Cy Young Award winner, but he remained adamant about Hernandez being the best pitcher he saw during the entire season.
"His numbers [19-5, 2.49 ERA], especially in the division with the most wins in baseball, tell me he was the best pitcher," Adair said. "I felt that way at the end of the season and I still feel that way."
AL Cy Young Award Voting
| Player | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke, KC | 25 | 3 | 134 | |
| Felix Hernandez, SEA | 2 | 23 | 1 | 80 |
| Justin Verlander, DET | 1 | 9 | 14 | |
| CC Sabathia, NYY | 2 | 7 | 13 | |
| Roy Halladay, TOR | 11 | 11 |
Hernandez was superb against division foes, going 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA against the AL West champion Angels, 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA against the Rangers and 1-0 with a 4.97 ERA in two starts against the Athletics.
Overall, he compiled a 10-4 record and 2.73 ERA in 20 starts against the top 10 scoring teams in the Major Leagues and was the only pitcher in the Major Leagues to be selected Pitcher of the Month twice -- in June (3-0, 0.94 ERA) and September (6-0, 1.52).
"Take nothing away from Greinke," Adair added. "He pitched a great game against us [a 3-0 shutout in August], but after watching him once and seeing Felix 34 times, it's hard for me to say that Felix was not the best pitcher in the American League. I thought he had a very, very good chance of winning the Cy Young.
"The thing about this season for Felix was his maturity on and off the field. He knows he can extend himself to 240 innings and is a 'count-on' guy. He's a leader. He realized that this year and backed that up."
After starting the season with four consecutive wins, Hernandez stumbled, losing three in a row, including a lackluster outing against the Angels on May 19. Felix surrendered 11 hits, six earned runs and five stolen bases in that game -- and was "called out" by manage Don Wakamatsu afterwards.
Wakamatsu was not pleased with the performance and challenged the ace in person and via the media.
Wakamatsu also made catcher Rob Johnson Hernandez's regular batterymate.
It was a winning combination as Hernandez posted a 15-2 record and 1.98 ERA the remainder of the season and was selected to the AL All-Star team for the first time.
"It was an honor to catch a guy of his stature," Johnson said. "Every other team knows what they are up against when they face him. The intensity is definitely raised with Felix on the mound."
Hernandez tied for the league lead in wild pitches with 17, a testament as to how much his pitches move. As Johnson knows all too well, pitches that dart all over the place are sometimes difficult to corral.
"He doesn't throw one pitch straight -- ever," Johnson said. "He has one curveball that goes sideways and one that goes straight down. He has a slider that backs up, breaks down and goes sideways. His changeup sinks and cuts. His four-seamer cuts and sometimes goes up, and his two-seamer sinks and you just never know how much.
"I honestly can say I have caught a potential Hall of Fame pitcher and a future Cy Young Award winner."
But not this year.
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
