Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez tips his hat to fans before a game against the Oakland Athletics on Sept. 26, 2019, at T-Mobile Park. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Albert Pujols Offers Kind Words For Seattle Mariners Great Felix Hernandez

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch | Last updated Dec 24, 2024 2:45 PM ET

When the Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2025 gets inducted on July 27, 2025, the best hitter in Seattle Mariners history, Ichiro Suzuki, will all but certainly be included.

The questions are whether or not Suzuki will be a unanimous selection in his first year of eligibility, and whether or not one of his former Seattle teammates will be joining him in Cooperstown.

Felix Hernandez, the longest-tenured pitcher in Mariners history, is also in his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame. Hernandez is responsible for the only perfect game in franchise history, which he threw on Aug. 15, 2012, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Hernandez's Hall of Fame candidacy isn't iron-clad like Suzuki's, but he recently received an incredible co-sign from a player likely not too far away from his own Hall of Fame induction.

All-time great slugger Albert Pujols, of St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels fame, offered some comments that were shared by the Seattle Mariners via "X" (formerly known as Twitter) that were extremely complementary to Hernandez:

"I'm glad I didn't have to face this guy every five days because he was pretty tough.
Felix Hernandez was tough. Not just on me but a lot of people."

High praise from “The Machine” Albert Pujols #FélixHOF pic.twitter.com/2z9L6DWE0U
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) December 23, 2024

Hernandez was with Seattle for 15 season from 2005-2019. He's the franchise's all-time leader in ERA (3.42), wins (169), games started (418), career bWAR (49.9) and strikeouts (2,524).

August 15, 2012: Felix Hernandez throws the first perfect game in Mariners history. pic.twitter.com/Z9eBwTHHxp
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) August 15, 2023

Hernandez was also an American League Cy Young award winner in 2010, a two-time AL ERA leader (2010, 2014) and six-time All-Star.

The main argument against Hernandez was the fact he never made the playoffs and had a stark drop-off in the tail end of his career.

But at his best, Hernandez was one of the best pitchers of his era. And when a hitter the caliber of Pujols offers his support, that can carry some weight.

Now it's just a matter of seeing whether or not Pujols' compliments, and the rest of Hernandez's accolades, can be enough to send the former Cy Young winner into Cooperstown.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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