King F¨¦lix will have to wait for his potential crowning ceremony, but Tuesday night¡¯s announcement was a solid debut for the former Mariners ace¡¯s chances for enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In his debut season on the Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America ballot, F¨¦lix Hern¨¢ndez was named by 81 voters, good for 20.6% of votes from eligible members. He earned more than enough of the necessary 5% support to stay on but not the 75% required for election.

Fellow Mariners great Ichiro Suzuki was voted in with 99.7 percent of the vote in his first time appearing on the ballot, falling one vote shy of unanimous selection. CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were the other players elected this year.

There is an uphill, but not impossible climb for Hern¨¢ndez over the next decade. He didn¡¯t have the counting numbers, but if there was ever a case for voting a player into the Hall of Fame based on the peak of his career, Hern¨¢ndez has it.

Throughout his 15-year big league career, Hern¨¢ndez was the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner, a six-time All-Star and a two-time winner of the AL ERA title, in 2010 and '14. He had six top-10 Cy Young finishes, including a pair of runner-up results in '09 and '14.

Hern¨¢ndez's defining achievement came on Aug. 15, 2012, when he threw the 23rd perfect game in baseball history. No other pitcher could accomplish the feat for another 11 years.

Hern¨¢ndez notably fell off following an All-Star season in 2015, as injuries played a part in halting his career numbers at 2,729 2/3 innings, 169 wins, a 3.42 ERA and 2,524 strikeouts.

But from 2006-15, he was one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues. During that time, he made 30 or more starts every year. He compiled 249 2/3 innings in 2010, when he collected his lone Cy Young Award.

Hern¨¢ndez spent the entirety of his Major League career with the Mariners, though he attempted a return to the mound during Spring Training 2021 with the Orioles.