Felix Hernandez Wins Cy Young Award. Thanks, Nerds!

Felix Hernandez is the winner of the 2010 American League Cy Young Award, given to the league's best pitcher. And he has nerds to thank.

Felix's candidacy for the Cy Young award turned into a referendum on statistical analysis. Traditionally, the Cy Young Award has gone to the pitcher with the gaudiest record, like Randy Johnson's 18-2 mark in 1995. Hernandez's record was just 13-12, but he led the league in ERA and fewest hits per nine innings. The stats community, growing in influence in baseball circles, championed Hernandez's candidacy as a break from the hegemony of wins, which naturally are dependent on how good your team is. (The Mariners aren't good).

By any measure, Hernandez, who is still just 24 years old, had an incredible season. My favorite memory will be his September 17 start against Texas, when he came within six outs of no-hitting the eventual AL champion Texas Rangers. For a few brief innings, Hernandez reminded us what it means to care about a baseball game--the tension and release of every pitch, the brief moment of hope (or terror) when the ball is hit and you aren't sure yet how hard or where, and the ongoing, pit-of-the-stomach nervousness. (Trust us, non-sports-fans, it's worth it.)

Congrats to King Felix. Recognition well-deserved. And thanks for caring, when the Mariners' record gave you every reason not to.