Felix Hernandez claims his throne in the National Division.
There are many adjectives to describe Felix Hernandez of the New England Bombers - dominant, magnificent, exceptional, superior. The list goes on and on. Perhaps the most appropriate word would be...titillating, which means to excite (another) pleasurably, superficially or erotically. That was certainly the case for Bombers manager Erik Uustal who was the beneficiary of King Felix's award-winning performances.
However, Hernandez's award doesn't come without a fair share of controversy. While playing for the abominable Mariners Hernandez was only able to win a meager 13 games while losing 12. Not exactly a W-L record you'd expect from the best pitcher in the league. But that speaks more to how historically bad his Mariners team was, not to his pitching capabilities.
As Uustal points out, Hernandez's consistency this season stood out from years past. In his last 21 starts, he went 8+ innings in an amazing 13 of them. Not only that but, in the Bombers playoff run Hernandez slammed the door on the pitching categories with two 8 IP, 1 ER performances.
When speaking about Hernandez, Uustal sounds like the proud parent of an illegitimate Venezuelan boy, born of a Peace Corp romance deep in the jungle. "Felix has been with the Bomber organization since his first start in the Majors at age 19. His growth into the best pitcher in the league has been a pleasure to watch."
He might indeed be the best pitcher in the league, but he does have his shortcomings. Most noticeably his lack of proficiency with the media.
Hernandez, like many of his Latino brethren prefer life out of the limelight, and as Uustal puts it "The King prefers to speak in grunts and fist pumps, especially after a big punch-out to get out of a jam." He also adds that, "Felix, along with another public-speaking-challenged Bomber, Buster Posey, have been working on their media skills following their big NKFBL Award wins this season."
We will all be looking forward to that!
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