Hernandez blanks Yankees with 2-hitter
June 30, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—Felix Hernandez(notes) threw a wild pitch and handcuffed his catcherfor a passed ball in the first inning.
With all that movement, he knew things would be all right.
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New York Yankees' Alex Rod… AP – Jun 30, 9:33 pm EDT Seattle Mariners' Felix He… AP – Jun 30, 7:51 pm EDT YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 1; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100630/capt.9473b6f579ac468ab6cc6a6a64576c67-9473b6f579ac468ab6cc6a6a64576c67-0.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=31&yc=1&wc=350&hc=389&q=70&sig=P5RJCxvon76QuoxigE4J8g--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 2 Sea-NYY Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init(); Series at a Glance Seattle 7 NY Yankees 4 Tue, Jun 29 – Final Seattle 7 NY Yankees 0 Wed, Jun 30 – Final Seattle at NY Yankees Thu, Jul 1 – 1:05 pm ET
Wow, were they. Hernandez pitched a two-hitter and struck out 11 to followCliff Lee’s(notes) gem, and the Seattle Mariners secured their first road series winsince April, beating the New York Yankees 7-0 Wednesday night.
“He told me, ‘Oh my God, things are dropping like crazy,”’ Hernandez saidof catcher Rob Johnson(notes).
Hernandez sent Yankees batters back to the dugout shaking their heads at-batafter at-bat. Alex Rodriguez(notes) smacked his bat to the ground after he chased adiving pitch for one of his two strikeouts. Derek Jeter(notes) shook his head as hewatched Hernandez walk off the mound when he fanned to end the eighth.
King Felix took New Yorkers’ minds off that other King for a few hours witha dazzling performance. LeBron James will be on everyone’s mind come Thursday,but for now Yankees manager Joe Girardi marveled at Seattle’s ace.
“He’s as good as we’ve seen all year. His slider, changeup and curveball.He really had it all working tonight,” Girardi said. “He’s got electricstuff.”
Michael Saunders(notes) connected for two of the light-hitting Mariners’ fourhomers to support Hernandez in his third complete game this season and 10thoverall. It was his career fourth shutout and first since June 16, 2009, at SanDiego.
Hernandez (6-5) and Lee are a major reason why the Mariners have won nine of12. Lee threw his third straight complete game in a 7-4 win Tuesday night andHernandez, in his third start in a row to go nine innings, might have been moreperplexing to Yankees batters Wednesday.
“You talk about the impact that Lee has on this pitching staff, I think itpushes Felix,” Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. “A guy like Lee will makeFelix better.”
The Yankees had not lost consecutive games to pitchers throwing completegames since April 21-22, 2000, when Chris Carpenter(notes) and Kelvim Escobar(notes) did itfor the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hernandez and Lee won back-to-back starts for only the second time thisseason. The last was June 18-19, but Hernandez went nine innings in his previousstart, a 13-inning loss to the Cubs.
Mark Teixeira(notes) doubled leading off the fourth for New York’s first hit andColin Curtis(notes) had a lost-in-the-lights double in the fifth. Hernandez retired 11in a row after Curtis’ double before a one-out walk to Ramiro Pena(notes) in the ninth.
Milton Bradley(notes) and Saunders each homered off Javier Vazquez(notes) (6-7) and JoseLopez(notes) extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI single.
“We put pressure on them all night,” Wakamatsu said.
Russell Branyan(notes) homered for the first time since returning to the Marinersin a trade late Saturday, a two-run shot in the seventh off Damaso Marte(notes) to helpthe Mariners secure their first series on the road since April 26-28 at KansasCity.
Saunders hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Chad Gaudin(notes) for his firstmultihomer game.
“I was just excited to be able to come here, especially be able to play inYankee Stadium,” Saunders said.
Unlike Lee, who might be gone by the trading deadline in July, Hernandezfigures to be the Mariners ace for awhile. He signed a $78 million, five-yeardeal in the offseason.
Hernandez got himself in trouble with a leadoff walk to Jeter in the first.He struck out Nick Swisher(notes) and Teixeira but Jeter advanced to third on a wildpitch and passed ball. Rodriguez walked—Hernandez’s first multiwalk game infive starts—before Robinson Cano(notes) hit a liner to left that Saunders caught witha leap.
Hernandez, who has won three straight decisions, did not walk another batteruntil the ninth.
“With Felix, that might be the best pure stuff I’ve seen him have in aballgame,” Wakamatsu said. “It’s awfully hard to catch, moving all over theplace.”
In the fifth, Curtis hit a high fly that fell in for a double when secondbaseman Chone Figgins(notes) lost the ball in the lights, holding his hands up indismay as Curtis hustled around first for the extra-base hit.
NOTES: The Mariners finished June 14-13, their first winning month of theseason. The Yankees were 16-10. … Yankees RHP A.J. Burnett(notes) threw about 35pitches in a bullpen session with pitching coach Dave Eiland, who returned tothe team Tuesday after taking nearly a month off for an undisclosed personalreason. Burnett lost all five starts in Eiland’s absence. … Wakamatsu said LHPErik Bedard(notes) could make his first start since having surgery in August on July 6against Kansas City.
