Most people could spend their whole life seeking perfection, in anything, and never achieve it.
But in baseball, there’s a name for it, a measure of spotlessness, called the perfect game.
It’s simple beauty: 27 up, 27 down.
And 13 years ago Friday, on August 15, 2012, Felix Hernandez was perfect.
It’s one of the greatest moments in the history of the Seattle Mariners.
On that day, the Mariners hosted the Tampa Bay Rays. Seattle entered the day 10 games under .500. There was nothing to play for.
But all of a sudden, Hernandez was dealing.
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He went nine up, nine down, and then Brendan Ryan singled, stole second and was driven home by Jesus Montero for a 1-0 lead.
From there, it was King Felix.
He struck out every spot in the Tampa Bay order except for leadoff hitter Sam Fuld. The Rays tried two pinch-hitters to no avail.
Hernandez finished with 12 strikeouts, 113 pitches, 77 strikes.
The final pitch, painted on the inside corner at 92 miles per hour, sparked celebrations rarely seen on a Seattle diamond.
Can’t believe it’s been 13 years.
The final out of Félix Hernández’s perfect game: pic.twitter.com/oKC9Jf7BW3
— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) August 15, 2025
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By current measure, there have been 24 perfect games in MLB history.
There are few things rarer in this sport. For pitchers, this is the ultimate.
It’s about results over process, sure. Do baseballs have to be hit at the right people to throw a perfect game? Definitely.
But in the end, a pitcher’s job is to keep runners from reaching base. And in a perfect game, that’s done immaculately.
So on this Friday, Mariners fans are rightfully remembering King Felix, a Seattle superhero. This year’s team is much more promising, as a whole, than that one 13 years ago.
But the feeling of witnessing perfection will never fade. Hernandez couldn’t be touched that day, and it’s an afternoon that will last a lifetime.
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