On a night when it supposed to be about him, Felix Hernandez, of course, made it about them.
Why? Because that’s who he has always been since he first put on a Mariners uniform. And it was going to stay that way until the final pitch of his final start Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.
The 3-1 defeat against the A’s will be forgotten within days. The overwhelming memories elicited by Hernandez in his 15 seasons with the Mariners and the heartfelt goodbye will remain.
For as much as his overwhelming natural talent and a right arm touched by the baseball gods carried him to elite heights in this game, he never forgot to take the fans of Seattle on that ride, knowing they pushed him higher than he could have imagined.