Former Rays villain making a push for 2026 Hall of Fame entry

Of all the pitchers that have toed the rubber against the Rays, few can boast the dominance that Felix Hernandez can. The Venezuelan hurler had a fantastic career, but his "Hall of Fame moment" came in 2012 against the Tampa Bay Rays. A lineup that consisted of B.J Upton, Evan Longoria, and Ben Zobrist were left hitless (and walk-less). Hernandez tossed the first perfect game in Mariners' history on August 15th, 2012. It was the third time the Rays had been on the opposing side of a perfect game in the past four seasons, but the 2010 Cy Young winner certainly earned every bit of the incredible feat.

Felix Hernandez is making a push for entry into the Hall of Fame on this year's ballot

Hernandez was signed out of Venezuela by the Mariners in 2002. The right-handed starter sped through the minor leagues, winning 30 of his 48 starts. He made his MLB debut in 2005 at the age of 19, tossing five innings and allowing only one earned run against Ivan Rodriguez and company. Hernandez never looked back after his impressive first start. He would complete 15 big league seasons in Seattle, complying a nearly 3,000 innings and a 3.42 ERA.

Felix Hernandez's Hall of Fame case revolves around his six straight All-Star appearances, two ERA titles, and 2010 Cy Young award. The perfect game that jolted his fandom to another level also helped improved that case. The moniker "King Felix" was born and the hurler was treated as such. 2012 wasn't the only year that King Felix dominated the Rays. His 2012 ERA against Tampa hitters was an incredible 0.53 to go along with the perfect game, but he also a sub-2.00 ERA against the Rays in 2007, 2008, and 2015.

The 2026 Hall of Fame ballot includes supposed locks such as nine-time All-Star centerfielder Carlos Beltran and 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones. However, there are some other notable pitchers in Andy Pettitte, Cole Hamels, and Mark Buehrle. Hernandez compares well with the competition, but it would be interesting to see how the voters view his career as a whole. Regardless, his magical game against the Rays in 2012 will never be forgotten.