Things got a bit emotional Thursday night in Seattle as Felix Hernandez made his anticipated final start for the Mariners after 15-years with the organization.
Tears really started to flow in the sixth inning when manager Scott Servais took the ball from Hernandez for the last time as King Felix‘s run as a Mariner. That though didn’t come without Servais muttering the words “You will always be the king in this town” to the team’s former ace and future Hall of Famer.
And as the 33-year-old made his way back to the dugout while show the utmost gratitude to the his fans in the court you can’t help but feel somewhat bad for the situation in general. Bad in the sense that neither the Mariners or Hernandez could generate long lasting organizational success that resulted in pennants or World Series championships.
Not that falling short of that is King Felix’s fault.
I hate to use the term ‘wasted talent’ on a guy like Hernandez considering how good he was in his prime but it’s that thought alone that has to weigh on Mariners fans as they see one of the greatest pitchers in their organization’s history take a final bow and exit stage left. What could have been if they surrounded their ace who was arguably the best pitcher in the MLB in that prime with not just more talent but the right talent.
On the other hand, you really have to respect King Felix’s willingness to stick with an organization like the Mariners and try to make it work. You have to assume there was plenty of opportunities for Hernandez to hightail it out of Seattle and go to an organization like the Red Sox, Yankees or Dodgers to not only get a huge paycheck but probably have a better chance to win. For Felix though, loyalty seemed to be a little more important to him which is extremely admirable.
In any sense, it doesn’t look like Hernandez is ready for retirement and I’m sure some MLB team out there will be more than willing to take a flier on the former Cy Young winner at a bargain rate.
