‘King’ Felix Hernandez takes his throne as part of Mariners Hall of Fame
As the familiar chords of his adopted anthem from Aloe Blacc started to play and the bullpen doors in left field opened, Felix Hernandez broke into a sheepish grin as a smoke machine started to spout clouds and a sold-out crowd rose in anticipation.
“Well you can tell everybody
Yeah you can tell everybody
Go ahead and tell everybody
I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the man“
For a moment, as the music blared, and Hernandez emerged from the plumes, you wanted to see him in the luminous home white baseball pants, a bright Northwest green jersey with No. 34 on the back, his cap just askew, stone-faced, ready to do battle and willing to empty every ounce of energy and emotion into that night’s outing.
“Happy Felix Day!” wasn’t just a saying, but a belief of a better game that day and better games and seasons ahead. He was special and it made them special on those days.
But the daydream of one more outing filled with change-ups and chest pumps, with strikeouts and screams disappeared.
“I believe every lie that I ever told
Paid for every heart that I ever stole
I played my cards and I didn’t fold
Well it ain’t that hard when you got soul (this is my world)“
As the words were sang, Hernandez, wearing a light beige suit, made it all of about 15 feet into the outfield grass as tears filled his eyes. Ever the showman, he stopped for a moment and raised his hands and offered them to the crowd, drawing the surge he craved.
“Somewhere I heard that life is a test
I been through the worst but I still give my best
God made my mold different from the rest
Then he broke that mold so I know I’m blessed (this is my world)“
The slow walk from the outfield was filled with tears as fellow members of the Mariners Hall of Fame awaited him in the infield grass. While they had chairs for the ceremony, the Mariners brought in a large throne adorned with red velvet padding.
Well, it was a ceremony for the King.
So many times in his career, Hernandez would make the walk from the dugout with that song playing and the fans in the King’s Court and stadium all standing and cheering. The first time they played that song, it caught him by surprise and he loved the reaction from the fans.
“That was amazing,” he said at the time.
“Stand up now and face the sun
Won’t hide my tail or turn and run
It’s time to do what must be done
Be a king when kingdom comes“
When Hernandez reached the pitcher’s mound, a place he felt at home, a place where created mastery and magic, he stepped on the rubber, looked around with his face growing serious and yelled, “This is my house! This is my house!”
It was met with roaring approval. And the familiar “K! K! K! K!” chants from the King’s Court.
The ceremony that was hosted by Rick Rizzs didn’t lack for emotion. A look-back video of fans discussing his career and what he meant to them and the city, including replays of the magical perfect game, left him weeping in his seat.
The emotion the fans showed in the video and his reaction offered another example of the unique bond between him and the local fan base, different from any Mariners player or professional athlete in recent memory.
The Mariners dropped their first surprise: Sophia Robinson, who first met Hernandez in June of 2013 at age 4 through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska and Washington. Born in Alaska with a life-threatening and rare heart condition, and undergoing multiple procedures in Seattle, Robinson became enamored with Hernandez. After enduring three operations because of congenital heart defects that year, her wish was granted. The two became fast friends and the relationship continued over the years via text message and phone calls.
As Rizzs described their relationship and pictures and videos of their first and subsequent meetings flashed on the board, Robinson appeared from the third-base dugout entrance holding flowers. Hernandez stood and held his arms wide open, giving her a tearful bear hug.
The second surprise came just as Hernandez was starting to dry the tears from his eyes, as he watched tributes from MLB players past and present, congratulating him on his induction and accomplishments.
Adrian Beltre, his former teammate turned friendly nemesis with the Rangers, was the last of the video tributes.
Beltre spoke of being teammates and rivals, of the times Hernandez struck him out and the homers he hit off him, and remaining friends through it all. And then Beltre said, “I know this day is huge for you and for the Seattle Mariners. And there was no way I was missing this, so wait a second …”
As the video stopped, Beltre came walking out of the third-base dugout, turning Hernandez into a blubbering mess of tears and happiness as he hugged him like a relative he was seeing for the first time in years.
By the time he took the podium to deliver his speech, which he proudly said he’d written himself, Hernandez had used up most of his tears.
He made sure to thank everyone he could, starting with the organization.
“You guys took a chance on me in 2002 as a 16-year-old playing in Venezuela,” he said. “You’ve stood by my side every since.”
He thanked the managers and coaches and staff from his career: “I was a better player because of you.”
When it came to his teammates, he looked at Beltre and Franklin Gutierrez sitting in the VIP section and the few still on the team in the dugout and thanked them.
“To my teammates: It was a privilege to be on the field with all of you,” he said. “You helped me. That perfect game on August 15, 2012 — does not happen without you guys, my teammates, thank you.”
He gave a special thank you to the Mariners’ past and current clubhouse attendants and managers, pointing to them. He developed a special bond with them over the years, starting as a 19-year-old in the big leagues.
“You guys are my family,” he said.
The only time Hernandez’s voice broke during the ceremony was when he mentioned his mother and father and his brother and sister and two children.
“This is not easy for me,” he said to the crowd as he tried work through the speech. “Being out there on the mound is way easier than this.”
He didn’t forget to mention the current Mariners, imploring them to keep it going and giving Seattle a reason to party.
And, of course, he saved his last thank you for the fans.
“To you the amazing Seattle fans and the King’s Court, you are the greatest fans in the world,” he said. “Thank you for all your support. I love you guys.”
The “K!” chants resumed once again and were followed by “Let’s Go Felix!” chants.
“Well you can tell everybody
Yeah you can tell everybody
Go ahead and tell everybody
I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the man.”