SEATTLE -- Felix Hernandez's early start to his winter pitching plans got off to a rough beginning on Thursday in Venezuela, but the Mariners' ace is just getting underway with a program designed to have him ready to pitch competitively in the World Baseball Classic in March.
Hernandez -- pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League for the first time since 2003, when he was just starting his pro career at age 17 -- gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning of work for Magallanes in a game at Margarita Island.