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I distinctly remember the first time I saw baseball greatness in the flesh. In 1972, at age nine, I had the privilege of watching Steve Carlton in every single one of his home starts. That was the year he went 27-10 while pitching for a 59-97 club. Carlton made every single player behind him better on the nights he pitched. I had been upset when my favorite Phillie, Rick Wise, had been traded for Carlton after the 1971 season, but that quickly faded. Ten years later, he was still winning Cy Young Awards, and 11 years later, he was helping pitch his club into the World Series. That's sustained greatness. With one month plus of the 2015 season in the books, it's now clearer than ever that Felix Hernandez has joined the ranks of the truly great. The 2015 Seattle Mariners are a whole lot better than the 1972 Philadelphia Phillies, but they are flawed in many ways. But not on the nights their ace pitches; they have won all seven of his starts, with Hernandez compiling a 6-0 record. Let's dive in to the numbers to see exactly why King Felix has earned the moniker of "great."
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