Bittersweet ending to a remarkable season for Felix Hernandez

The Mariners came up short in their bid for the postseason but Felix Hernandez believes this was the final step to reaching his dream of pitching in October in Seattle.

BY SHANNON DRAYER

Sep 28, 2014, 6:37 PM Updated: Sep 29, 2014, 9:12 am

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"We got a little taste of what it is going to be in the playoffs," Felix Hernandez said Sunday. "We came close and next year we are going to be better." (AP)

(AP)

And so it ends.

On a day where the Mariners had runs to spare, the Rangers came up empty. When Texas’ Jake Smolinski flew out to left field as the final out in the Athletics’ 4-0 win, Seattle’s season came to an end.

Aaron Goldsmith on the radio broadcast noted that when the baseball season ends, it’s like going from 60 to zero in a matter of minutes. That feeling would be delayed for a short while as there was business to be taken care of.

As it became more and more apparent that the A’s would clinch, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon got Brandon Maurer up in the bullpen. Felix Hernandez was well under 60 pitches but as he had all season long, the skipper would take care of his ace in his final game.

Felix was allowed to go out for the sixth and get one out before McClendon made the walk to the mound. Felix knew he was coming and turned around to find his infielders approaching him. Not for the normal coming-out-of-the-game huddle. Not for handshakes, but for hugs.

The crowd, on its feet since the second McClendon reached the top step of the dugout, roared its appreciation. Chants of “Felix, Felix” broke out. As Felix turned toward the dugout, the cheers became louder. Felix took it all in, tipping his cap and making full turns to acknowledge every corner of Safeco Field. As he approached the dugout steps, the cap came off again and he made the most kingly of bows. A curtain call followed as no one in the crowd of 40,823 was ready for their last look of the year at Felix.

Felix wasn’t ready, either.

“Oh man, don’t cry. That was going through my mind,” he said when asked what he was thinking when he turned around and saw his infielders walking toward him as McClendon approached the mound. “All of those guys were giving me a hug, Lloyd was just … it was emotional, it was emotional. And then the crowd, they stand up, standing ovation. It was unbelievable. It was great.”

If it couldn’t be the postseason then this was a fitting sendoff for what should be a two-time Cy Young Award winner. Felix’s 5 1/3 innings of no-run ball Sunday not only gave him the ERA title at 2.14 (Chicago’s Chris Sale finishes second at 2.17) but also pushed him to second behind David Price in innings with 236. Corey Kluber – Felix’s competition for the award – finishes with 235 2/3 innings. McClendon took care of the arm, the numbers and the emotions of both pitcher and fans when he took Felix out.

In the clubhouse about a half hour after he had left the game, there was still a tinge of disappointment evident as Felix talked about his season. For him that disappointment did not eclipse the full meaning of the season his team had and how it sets the Mariners up for the future.

“When I looked to the scoreboard and they (the A’s) scored four I was a little disappointed, but you know what, I’m just proud of this team, I’m proud of my teammates, I’m proud of this coaching staff. It was a great year,” he said.

Felix’s goal has always been the playoffs – the World Series, to be specific. That is not unlike any other player in this game. What separates Felix from the others, however, is he has always wanted to win that World Series with the team that originally signed him. He has been here through every struggle of the past decade and has always supported his teammates and his organization. In his mind the final hurdle has been cleared and his team will be ready to play past 162 in 2015.

“We are not satisfied. We are going to be better,” he said. “We got a little taste of what it is going to be in the playoffs. We came close and next year we are going to be better.”

On an individual level, Felix believes he had the best season of his career. In his mind there is no question he was better than 2010 when he won the Cy Young Award.

“I had better stuff, more command, more consistent, I finished in September,” he said. “Better fastball command, the curveball was unbelievable and my changeup. I had better stuff.”

He plans on being even better next year.

“I will work harder, we will work harder, to be prepared for the season and make the playoffs,” he said. “That’s it. It’s time. And we have a good chance to do it.”

If they do, this year and these last two weeks in particular will have been the launching pad. Felix appears to have learned a lot.