Watching Felix' last Mariner game, much like viewing Ichiro's retirement, touched me emotionally. Win or lose, these players become part of the team's identity and their achievements, over the long haul, provide parallel and supportive narratives to that of the team itself. The history of the Mariners is inextricably bound up with the unfolding career of any of its players, especially true in the case of Felix.
And Felix went out of his way to invite the fans along on the ride, expressing his emotions openly and freely. The King's Court, that yellow-shirted section (last night several sections along the left-field line) reacted, as Hernandez did, to each strike, ball, hit and out... most particularly his strikeouts.
Last night Felix prompted tears, laughter, tears and an evening full of sentimentality.
It was something to see him point to the King's Court in acknowledgement of each of his Ks, a most uncharacteristic gesture to fans rarely seen in professional sports, even for Felix. The mutual love was there for all to see.
I've written about this before: Felix was kind of a hard-luck pitcher. He had 180+ quality starts but around 50 wins to show for it. Never enough run support to get him a lead after he had given up only two runs over seven innings. Too bad, really.
And last night, despite the sentiment and energy, was actually no different. He struggled a little and gave up three... another home run... the M's pushed across only one. He walked off the field carrying one more loss in his back pocket.
Is he done? Probably not. Odds are some team will invite him to spring training. I hope he passes up on the opportunity and retires. He just isn't the pitcher he was and age and I suspect a degree of stubbornness preclude a renaissance.
He did and accomplished much. Being just one of 24 to pitch a perfect game is a historic achievement. Thanks for the contribution, the effort and the memories.
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