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Felix has been there and done that.
“I remember the first time I faced them was in ’05, and Randy Johnson was pitching for them,” Hernandez said. “I told myself it was just another game and prepared for it the same way I did for any other ream.”
What happened?
“I pitched eight innings and gave up two runs – two solo home runs – and lost, 2-0,” Hernandez said. “Randy was pitching pretty good that night.”
Adrian Beltre was the Seattle third baseman and was asked after that game about the two pitchers.
“In 10 years, we may be saying this was a Hall of Fame pitcher working against a future Hall of Fame pitcher,” Beltre said. “Randy Johnson is a great pitcher. Felix is something special.”
Felix was 19 that first game against New York. Pineda is 22, and will be making the 10th start of his career tonight.
Advice?
“They’re always a patient team, especially early in games,” Hernandez said. “They’ll take a lot of pitches. If you throw strikes, they change their approach and get more aggressive. When you pitch against New York, you’ve got to really locate.
“You just need the same focus you have every game, the focus he’s had all season.”
Pineda has stunned not only the Mariners with his pitching but also all of baseball. In his first nine starts, he’s 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA. Opponents are batting .194 against him, and he has walked only 14 batters in 58 innings while striking out 61.
“He’s surprised me, yes – he’s surprised everybody,” Felix said, smiling. “Michael has dominated hitters.”
Is he like, oh, a young Felix Hernandez?
“He’s a little bit like me,” said Hernandez, who is 25.
After losing that game to Johnson and the Yankees in 2005, Hernandez lost again to New York in his second season, 2006.
Since then, he has had his way with them. In his last six starts vs. New York, Hernandez is 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA.
Last year, Felix faced the Yankees three times, and was 3-0 with a 0.35 ERA.
That’s domination.
Asked why he has pitched so well against a team that is always a playoff contender, Hernandez thought a moment.
“I like pitching in front of big crowds, and there’s always a big crowd at Yankees games,” he said. “If you’re on the road, it’s great to silence a big crowd – I love that. And when you’re at home and a big crowd is cheering, that’s the best.”
Hernandez said over the years, he has seen the New York lineup change, but one thing about it never does.
“They are always good hitters, always dangerous,” he said. “They know how to hit, so you can’t make a mistake.”
The Yankees have learned about Hernandez, too.
“He’s got a great sinker and never beats himself,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s got four plus-pitches to work with. That young man is a great pitcher.”
Long before Hernandez won the American League Cy Young Award last season, the New York press had been lobbying hard for the Yankees to acquire him.
General manager Jack Zduriencik not only put a crimp in that plan by signing Felix through 2014, but he also went on record again this spring: He was not going to trade Hernandez to the Yankees or anyone else.
Asked earlier this year if he’d rather pitch for the Yankees, with their rich history, their payroll, their roster of great players, Hernandez shook his head and kept his answer simple.
“I like it here,” he said.
Tonight, he will watch a new teammate do what he did six seasons ago – take on a New York team filled with great hitters. He will cheer from the dugout, help any way he can.
“Pineda knows what he’s doing,” Hernandez said. “I’m an old guy now. I can only throw 95-96 mph. Pineda throws 97-98 mph. He should be giving me advice.”
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com
TODAY
N.Y. Yankees (A.J. Burnett: 5-3, 4.02 ERA) at Seattle (Michael Pineda: 6-2, 2.16), 7:10 p.m., Root Sports, 1240-AM, 1030-AM
