King Felix started out in a bit of a jam against Oakland Tuesday night, when he loaded the bases in the first before getting any outs. Hernandez recorded a swinging strikeout against Jack Cust before coaxing Kevin Kouzmanoff into hitting into a double play.
Just when fans were starting to wonder if they’d be up late for extra innings, Casey Kotchman singled home Ichiro. Then a smart baserunning decision: Franklin Gutierrez, who’d been intentionally walked, safely stole third. Granted, nothing came of it, but the Mariners still led, 1-0
In the eighth inning, the King set a new personal record for strikeouts: 13 in the game. Gutierrez then singled to score Chone Figgins.
But the eighth was Felix’s last with David Aardsma coming in to pitch the top of the ninth. Aardsma took out the A's quickly—threee up, three down.
It’s always a lovely night when King Felix is on fire.