By the Numbers
Felix Hernandez has unarguably been one of the most dominant pitchers in the game this season. His 1.99 ERA leads the American League and his 197 strikeouts tie for second in the AL with Cy Young rival Corey Kluber. His 6.2 WAR already marks an MVP-type season even with well over a month remaining.
Much of his success has come from keeping the ball in the park, as Hernandez has posted a miniscule 0.39 HR/9. He’s kept the ball in the zone as well, walking only 1.55 batters while striking out 9.57 per nine. He’s also been effective at keeping runners off the basepaths, as opposing hitters are batting .193 against him, and his WHIP is only 0.87, both leading the league. No other pitcher, save maybe Kershaw, has had the success that Felix has, and I would be surprised if somebody else gets the AL Cy Young come November.
-BH
Notable Games
Felix Hernandez is the favorite to take the Cy Young Award, the result of a truly remarkable run this season. Of his impressive statistics, however, there is one that stands out from the rest: 16 starts in which he pitched at least seven innings and gave up two or fewer runs. While this feat would be impressive even if he were pitching to the Padres every trip to the mound (only one start was against the Padres) nine of these starts have been against teams with a .500 record or better, including the last six in a row. Half of his opponents have been in the top ten in the league in runs scored.
Hernandez’s two losses during this stint have put his team’s sputtery offense on display. The first was against the Texas Rangers, where the mediocre pitching of Nick Tepesch (4-7, 4.29 ERA) managed to hold the Mariners scoreless for six innings before the Rangers slightly more competent bullpen held Seattle hitless for the next three.
The second was a pitchers duel between another pitcher that Felix is battling for the AL Cy Young, in Corey Kluber. Hernandez happened to be on the losing side of Kluber’s masterpiece, his best start of the year; a complete game shutout on 85 pitches. This made Hernandez’s quality outing (seven innings, two runs, five hits) pale in comparison. Something that won’t show up on the game logs is that Hernandez is the ace of the best pitching staff in baseball, a distinction that is often associated with the Cy Young Award.
-MG
The Baseball Majors 