The King’s not dead and, suddenly, the Mariners’ pulse seems a little stronger after rolling into the All-Star break Sunday with a 4-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field.
It’s just one game against a last-place club. Maybe it will soon turn into a footnote in what, to date, has been a disappointing 43-47 season. But Felix Hernandez on Sunday resembled the King Felix of years past.
Hernandez permitted just two hits in six dominant innings. He walked three but struck out a season-high eight in doing what he’s so often done throughout his career — pull the Mariners out of a skid.