Teenager dazzles in defeat

DETROIT – The first pitch of the Felix Hernandez era in Seattle Mariners history on Thursday was a 94 mph fastball. The second was a 97 mph fastball. And the third pitch of the 19-year-old’s career was hit up the middle for a single.

It was that kind of major league debut for the first genuine Mariners pitching phenom in recent memory. It was a game in which he flashed moments of brilliance and moments when he looked like a nervous rookie.

In the end, Hernandez fought through five innings, using 81 pitches to get the first 15 outs of his Mariners career, and taking the loss in Detroit’s 3-1 win.

“I was nervous in the first inning and the strike zone was a little smaller than I’m used to,” Hernandez said, getting a laugh from the media. “But I got used to it. I feel great, but we lost.”

The final line on Hernandez: five innings pitched, three hits, two runs allowed – one of them earned – two walks, a hit batter and four strikeouts.

Perhaps more impressive, Hernandez began his career by allowing a single and then walking the next two batters, loading the bases with no one out.

Pitching coach Bryan Price trotted to the mound.

“There’s not a lot you can tell anyone in that situation except keep going, keep the ball down and get a double play,” Price said. “The 3-2 pitch he threw that loaded the bases was a good, close pitch, and I wanted to make sure he was OK.”

Was he?

“He was fine,” Price said.

Magglio Ordonez grounded an RBI single into left field, but Hernandez got his ground-ball double play – a first-to-home-to-first play – and struck out Ivan Rodriguez.

“Striking out Ivan, that was special,” Hernandez said.

The only other run Hernandez allowed came in the third inning, when he hit Placido Polanco, who worked his way to third base and scored on a passed ball – a breaking pitch that glanced off Wiki Gonzalez’s glove.

“I’ve caught Felix in Tacoma, this year and last, and he’s got a great breaking pitch,” Gonzalez said. “I was waiting down for it and it stayed up. No excuses, I’ve got to catch that ball.”

The only way Hernandez might have been better was if he’d faced his own offense.

Against Sean Douglass and Fernando Rodney, Seattle amassed three hits.

One of them was a home run by Raul Ibanez.

“We didn’t give him much to work with,” manager Mike Hargrove said.

The Mariners’ offensive problems start right at the top of their lineup, where Ichiro Suzuki – after batting .364 in July – is in a career-worst 0-for-19 slump.

“I don’t keep track of those things,” Ichiro said. “The Japanese media will know.”

Bottom line: The Mariners’ offense wasn’t worth writing about, and Hernandez, the baby-faced kid with the nuclear arm, was.

“Hitters were talking about him,” Gonzalez said. “Carlos Guillen was saying what good stuff he had, and Ivan (Rodriguez) said ‘This kid can pitch!’ “

The Mariners agreed.

“You can find kids coming out of high school and college who throw 95 mph plus,” Price said. “What they can’t do is throw a breaking ball. What they don’t have is a feel for pitching. What they don’t do is compete.

“Felix does all that. He’s not special because he throws 97 mph. Felix is special because he can throw a breaking pitch over for a strike and he will compete with anyone.”

“He might have been overthrowing just a little bit in that first inning,” Hargrove said. “But he settled down, he got out of it with just one run scoring. He was just like he’d been every time I’d seen him pitch in spring training – quiet and calm.

“His next time out, I think you’ll see him throw more strikes. We wanted to give him his first start on the road, we thought that was the best situation. His next start will be in Seattle.”

And beyond that?

“He’ll get the ball from me every five days,” Hargrove said.

Now 0-1 in his career, Hernandez couldn’t stop smiling in the clubhouse, and he answered questions with the typical candor of youth.

What did he think when major league hitters couldn’t hit his breaking pitch?

“I was extremely happy,” he said.

No, he didn’t dominate hitters, but he pitched to his strength and – to a large degree – controlled the game. Of the 15 outs Hernandez got, four were strikeouts and 11 were the result of ground balls to his infield.

Not one Tiger hit the ball in the air against him.

“I’ve got a bit more confidence now,” Hernandez said. “I was able to keep the ball down, throw strikes with my breaking pitch. I’m pleased, but I can’t be too pleased because my team lost.”

Around him, Mariners veterans smiled, too.

“When he loaded the bases with no one out in the first inning, I was thinking ‘Oh, this could be a big inning,’ Adrian Beltre said. “He got out of it with one run by pitching well. He did a good job.”

“He got the ground ball we needed for the double play,” Richie Sexson said. “You don’t get that, we’ve all seen innings get away. He’s going to get better and better.”

“Next time, his pitch count will be 95 to 100 pitches,” Hargrove said.