Felix Hernandez
Felix Hernandez
Félix Abraham Hernández García, nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan professional baseball starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut in 2005...
NationalityVenezuelan
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth8 April 1986
CityValencia, Venezuela
CountryVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
felt ready spring training
I don't know. At the end of spring training I felt ready to pitch.
felt happy team
I felt a little nervous. I know I pitched well, but I can't be happy because the team lost.
against great honor pitching though
Pitching against (Johnson) was an honor -- a great joy. Even though I lost, it was an honor to be out there against him.
corners harder hitting looking mixing sitting
I was told that harder wasn't necessarily better, and that batters were just sitting there looking for the fastball. I had to go back to pitching, hitting the corners and mixing up my stuff.
games harder kinds team worked
I think those kinds of games are going to make me a better pitcher. Without my command, I just worked harder to do the job, to keep my team in the game.
bullpen came good maybe per playing three throwing
In '05, '06, '07 and '08, I wasn't throwing any changeups at all. Maybe two or three per game. In '09, I started playing with the grip, started throwing it in the bullpen and playing catch. It came out really good.
harder work
Every year, you have to keep adjusting. I'm 28; I'm not 19 anymore. You have to work harder now.
possible
I don't want to be just an average guy. I want to do whatever possible to win a lot of games. I'm a competitor.
somewhere stay work
When you work somewhere and you feel comfortable, you don't want to leave. You want to stay there forever.
believe disappoint people trust
I'm going to say this - to the people in Seattle, to all the people in Seattle that trust me, that believe in me - I'm going to say this: I'm not going to disappoint anybody.
love
I can't say anything I don't love about Seattle.
fine protect trying
It's fine with me. I know they are trying to protect my arm. They know more than me.
It was just two pitches, two runs, two mistakes. They were high.
bit took
After that it took me a little bit to get back on track.