No surprise: Felix Hernandez will start in Mariners opener

PEORIA, Ariz. – Seattle manager Scott Servais marked Saturday’s start of official workouts by confirming what is likely to be the least surprising news this spring from the Mariners’ camp.

Felix Hernandez will pitch the season opener April 4 at Texas.

“You can run with that if you want,” Servais said. “It’s huge. It’s everything. Everybody is always talking about the No. 1 starter. We have a legit No. 1 starter.”

The Mariners opened their 43-day spring training when the 28 pitchers and six catchers on their 58-player camp roster worked through drills at the four-diamond cloverleaf on their side of the Peoria Sports Complex.

The first full-squad workout is Thursday, but many of the roster’s infielders and outfielders are already in camp and took part in a voluntary session on the main practice field.

Hernandez is entering his 12th season and turns 30 on April 8. He will be making his eighth straight, and ninth overall, start on opening day. He is 6-0 with a 1.49 ERA in his previous eight.

“Are you surprised?” he asked when informed of Servais’ announcement. “It’s always fun to throw on opening day. I can’t wait to do that again.”

Starting the opener? OK, no surprise. But Hernandez showing up with blond hair and a matching goatee caught everyone off-guard.

“I’m going to keep it,” he vowed. “For the entire season. I just wanted something different. I (decided to) try to be blond. I was tired of seeing my black hair in the mirror all of the time, so I decided to be blond.”

Blond or whatever, it is perhaps telling that Servais, while pointing to Hernandez’s career achievements, also chose to address the biggest omission on the King’s otherwise sparkling resume.

“Felix has never thrown a pitch in the playoffs,” Servais said. “And it’s time. We have a lot of work to do to get there. He knows that as well. But for a player to have that kind of career and to not have pitched in the playoffs yet … It’s up to us to make sure we get the pieces around him. And it up to him to help pull a few guys along with him. It’s going to be a joint effort.”

Hernandez admitted his lack of postseason experience is something that rankles.

“It drives me crazy,” he said. “It’s been a long time. I’ve never been in the playoffs in the big leagues. I can’t wait to be there.”

At this point, though, all that matters is that Hernandez is healthy. Specifically, he refuted comments by former coach Andy Van Slyke, who claimed Hernandez has a partially torn elbow ligament.

Van Slyke said that ligament was “about 25 percent torn and has been for the last couple of years” in a November radio interview. “Every pitch he threw,” Van Slyke said, “we were like, ‘Is his elbow going to go on this pitch?’ ”

“It’s not true,” Hernandez said. “I’m fine. He said a lot of stuff that’s not true.”