King Felix had his Opening Day start cut short due to his groin tightening up. He deemed himself okay after, but it is concerning nonetheless.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez left his Opening Day start on Monday night early due to tightness in his groin, per ESPN. He was only able to throw 65 pitches, in which he allowed two home runs before he exited his start, taking the loss. King Felix believes he might have suffered the injury when he was running to cover an out at first base during the fourth inning.
Hernandez stayed in the game for another two innings, before he was ultimately pulled from his start in order to avoid further irritation. Hernandez has been one of the most dominant pitchers the last decade, and with the exception of last season he has been pretty durable throughout his career. Before 2016, he had made at least 30 starts in 10 straight seasons, which is almost unheard with pitchers these days.
His season last year was cut short toward the end of September because he was suffering from tightness in his quadriceps. Now 30 years old and losing some velocity on his fastball that has made him one of the most feared pitchers in recent memory, he has been showing signs of declining which is natural with age.
The Mariners don’t want to take any chances with their best starting pitcher, as he is going to be needed if they plan on overtaking the coveted American League West championship from the Texas Rangers.
Next: MLB's 20 Richest Players
Injuries to pitchers can be difficult to manage because in order for a pitcher to prove his health, he has to throw bullpen sessions without causing additional irritation. Seattle did the right thing by cutting Felix’s start short, because it is not worth pushing your star this early in the season.