Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. Hernandez was first spotted in Venezuela at age 14 by a part-time Seattle Mariners scout. The Mariners signed Hernandez once he turned 16 and it was not until he graduated high school that he signed his first professional contract. In 2003, Hernandez came to the United States and began playing for the Mariners’ minor league team. Hernandez made his major league debut on August 4, 2005 and he was the youngest pitcher to appear in the majors since Jose Rijo in 1984. Hernandez had 12 starts his rookie year and 77 strikeouts. Hernandez quickly became one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. He led the majors in wins in 2009 and won the Cy Young Award a year later. Overall, Hernandez has been a six-time All-Star and led the American League in ERA twice. He threw the first perfect game in Mariners history in 2012 and is no doubt one of the franchise's all-time legends. Hernandez made ten straight Opening Day starts for Seattle and is the team's career leader in strikeouts. He won 169 games in a Mariners uniform before signing with the Braves prior to the 2020 season.