Comments on: All Hail The King

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:19:59 +0000

I said “the main reason” Felix did so well, and that’s what I meant. He was throwing the same 97 MPH 2-seamer he had when he came up and an 89 MPH slider he wasn’t using back then. Meanwhile, his curve and change were as good as they’ve looked, and he was mixing them up more than when he was getting hammered last season. That all may have been a factor in his success yesterday.

By: LB

LB — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 22:59:32 +0000

I hardly think that’s the major factor in why he K’d 12 and induced 12 groundouts.

So let’s see: it’s the guy’s career high in strikeouts and you don’t think he benefited from getting pitches that were not over the plate called for strikes?

That’s a tough proposition to defend.

Maybe they should just dig the plate out of the ground on days that Felix pitches. The umpires don’t use it, and the opposition’s baserunners won’t be getting any farther than third anyway.

By: DMZ

DMZ — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:40:13 +0000

Ahhhhhhhhh.

I don’t. Felix is entirely the future of the franchise. If he’s healthy, the team can put together a contending squad. If he’s not, they’re pretty much screwed.

So everyone’s super-sensitive about it. I understand that.

By: BLYKMYK44

BLYKMYK44 — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:24:59 +0000

No I find it odd that he had one game where he threw a reasonable amount of pitches (low stress pitches as noted above) and yet you still seem to see people claiming that they are riding him into the ground as if they were Kerry Wood’s High School coach

By: DMZ

DMZ — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:20:26 +0000

You find it odd that people hold contrary opinions to your own?

Also, he is a kiddie.

By: BLYKMYK44

BLYKMYK44 — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:15:38 +0000

Jason (NYC): Any thoughts on the M’s 2007 plan for Felix Hernandez? Have they given up on managing his arm? Are they going to ride him until he breaks down?

Rob Neyer: They apparently are not interested in limiting his innings, though I suspect he’ll rarely (if ever) throw more than 115-120 pitches in a game (last night he was pulled after 109). I’ll be honest: I’m worried about him. I’m worried that he’ll get hurt like Gooden did. But Gooden threw 277 innings in 1985, and Hernandez won’t do that.

- So at what point is Felix old enough to pitch 100 pitches? I find it odd that people act as if the Mariners are killing him when it seems to me that he has been held with kiddie gloves since he came up.

By: Steve T

Steve T — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:46:29 +0000

Sheets’s game score was 82. Felix 86. Sheets didn’t strike out as many, but he went nine, and gave up fewer walks and hits.

By: Gomez

Gomez — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:36:28 +0000

I was at the game and, while the zone was erratic, the zone didn’t really favor either pitcher. Felix, by my count, got screwed on about 5 or 6 obvious strikes.

And it still didn’t matter. That speaks volumes.

By: Mustard

Mustard — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:09:28 +0000

Does anyone have Sheets game score from yesterday? Another gem from the NL.

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 19:46:30 +0000

I got to watch FSNW’s replay of the game, and while the ump was calling a lot of strikes that looked off their K-Zone of the plate, the calls themselves didn’t exactly look out of line. At least a handful of close ones didn’t go Felix’s way, either.

No doubt he benefited somewhat from the strike zone, but with the movement and command he had yesterday, I hardly think that’s the major factor in why he K’d 12 and induced 12 groundouts.