Perfection: A day Mariner fans will long remember

So where were you when Felix Hernandez threw the first perfect game in the 35-year history of the Seattle Mariners?

I was inside Home Plate. Uh, no, not that one. Of course not that one.

The Home Plate I was inside is a tavern on Main Street in Auburn, where I had gone for the Longacres Mile post-position drawing at Emerald Downs. With a few minutes to kill before catching my Sounder train bound for Tacoma, I walked into Home Plate and was surprised to see baseball on every television set.

A replay of Tuesday night’s Mariners telecast? No, the field was splashed in the mid-afternoon sun. An East Coast game, perhaps? No, because I recognized the guy on the mound to be Felix Hernandez.

After five or six seconds, it occurred to me: The Mariners had been scheduled to play a Wednesday matinee against the Tampa Bay Rays. This was King Felix and this was live, and then broadcaster Dave Sims, bless his jinx-defying heart, caught me up on the story.

“Twenty straight outs for Felix Hernandez!” Sims shouted after there were two down in the Rays’ half of the seventh.

The baseball gods are diabolical in more than the obvious ways. You follow game upon game, for month after month, and then, during that part of the summer when the prevailing theme of the games is an absence of gravity — when you take your eye off the ball, as it were — the gods decide Wed., Aug. 15, 2012 is as good a date as any for the history book.

And make no mistake, Wednesday was historic at Safeco Field, where the Rays became the third team to be held without a hit in 2012. Last time three no-hitters were thrown in the same ballpark during a season? That would be 1917, in St. Louis.

As Hernandez was enhancing Safeco Field’s reputation as Masterpiece Theatre, he put on a show, striking out 12 with a fastball-slider-changeup repertoire that got more wicked as tensions built. The King worked fast, with a steely purposefulness he betrayed only once, after Sean Rodriguez — representing the Rays’ 27th and final out — worked the count to 2-0 by taking a slider that just missed the outside corner.

Hernandez grimaced, but catcher John Jaso didn’t flinch. He put down a sign for another slider. Rodriguez swung and missed. Two called strikes later, the Mariners were celebrating the most dominant performance by a Seattle pitcher since, well, Aug. 5, when Hernandez held the Yankees to a pair of hits during a 1-0, complete-game effort in New York.

At the age of 26, Hernandez is so talented, it’s a wonder that he made 229 previous starts for the Mariners without pitching a no-hitter. But fate can be fickle about these things. Steve Carlton, Whitey Ford, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens never threw a no- hitter, and yet, in 1953, Bobo Holloman threw a no-hitter in his first big-league start. He retired with a career record of 3-7.

As Holloman proved, a no-hitter can be a fluke. A perfect game can be a fluke, too, but it’s a team-effort fluke. If Mariners right fielder Eric Thames doesn’t track down Sam Fuld’s first-inning line drive launched toward the gap — a tough play, because the ball’s flight began in the sun and ended in the the shade — all bets are off: The perfect game is gone, and the no-hitter is gone.

But Thames made the catch, and his teammates converted 14 other chances into outs, and the legend of Felix Abraham Hernandez entered another dimension.

“I’m lucky to be wearing a Mariners uniform,” shortstop Brendan Ryan told postgame interviewer Jen Mueller. “It was magical.”

It was magical for the 21,889 fans at Safeco Field, and magical for the audience of 10 or so at the Home Plate Tavern. A few patrons were watching in the seventh inning. In the eighth, a Bob Dylan song on the juke box rendered Sims’ voice indistinguishable. But in the ninth, as King Felix was dealing with a vengeance, the suspense was compelling. And when he struck out Rodriguez, the roar was riveting.

Felix Hernandez retired 27 batters in a row Wednesday. A ho-hum afternoon game I’d forgotten about turned into a day I’ll never forget.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Arlington’s Leyton Martin (2) poses for a photo at Arlington High School on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Leyton Martin

Arlington’s do-it-all junior point guard led the Eagles to a district title and second straight Hardwood Classic.

X
Prep roundup for Thursday, March 28

Prep roundup for Thursday, March 28: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Left to right, Mountlake Terrace’s Zaveon Jones, Glacier Peak’s Jo Lee, Everett’s Isaiah White, Arlington’s Leyton Martin, Jackson’s Ryan McFerran, and Mountlake Terrace’s Jaxon Dubiel pose for a photo at Arlington High School on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 All-Area boys basketball teams

A look at the top prep boys basketball players in the area from the 2023-24 season.

Silvertips’ Andrew Petruk (26) fights for the puck during a game between the Everett Silvertips and the Tri-City Americans at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Breaking down the Silvertips’ 1st-round playoff series vs. the Giants

Everett is searching for a revenge after a shocking playoff exit against Vancouver two years ago.

Left to right, Arlington’s Samara Morrow, Kamiak’s Bella Hasan, Everett’s Alana Washington, Lake Steven’s Nisa Ellis, Lynnwood’s Aniya Hooker, and Meadowdale’s Gia Powell, pose for a photo at Everett High School on March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 All-Area girls basketball teams

A look at the top prep girls basketball players in the area from the 2023-24 season.

Everett’s Alana Washington poses for a photo at Everett High School on March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Alana Washington

The Everett senior upped her game in the postseason to help the Seagulls overcome injuries and claim their first state trophy in 41 years.

Silvertips players celebrate during a game between the Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. The Silvertips won, 5-3. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Silvertips land No. 1 pick, chance to draft generational talent

Landon DuPont is the consensus top pick in next WHL prospects draft. Everett chief operating officer Zoran Rajcic said the team intends to select him.

Dennis Williams, head coach and GM of the Everett Silvertips, shakes hands with an assistant coach at the end of a season opening victory over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, Sep. 24, 2022, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Coach, GM Williams leaving Silvertips for Bowling Green State

After seven successful season leading Everett, Dennis Williams is heading back to his alma mater. He’ll stay with the Tips through the WHL playoffs.

Stanwood High School student athletes during their signing day ceremony. (Courtesy of Stanwood High School)
Local class of 2024 athletes who have signed to play in college

A running list of 2024 high school athletes who are set to compete at the next level.

Mountlake Terrace’s Jaxon Dubiel talks with head coach Nalin Sood during the 3A boys state basketball game against Todd Beamer on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘It was just time’: Mountlake Terrace basketball coach Sood steps down

Nalin Sood guided his alma mater to 381 wins and 15 state berths in 24 seasons as head coach. He spent over four decades with the program.

University of Washington's new men's basketball coach Danny Sprinkle meets the news media, Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in Seattle. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
Taking over at Washington personal for men’s basketball coach Sprinkle

Danny Sprinkle spoke about his connection to the school during his introductory press conference Wednesday.

X
Prep roundup for Tuesday, March 26

Prep roundup for Tuesday, March 26: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.