MLB: Felix Hernandez’s delivery won’t be tinkered with

Mel Stottlemyre got fired?

“He could be made to finish in a perfect fielding position,” pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said Thursday, “but his stuff would not be as good. The thing I am concerned about is how he gets all the way through his pitches, not where he falls off after that.

“He wouldn’t have as much drive off the mound, so [falling off the first-base side of the mound] is something we just have to deal with. You’re scared every time you see him throw that bare hand out, but it’s the competitive spirit and natural reaction he has. You could tell him until you’re blue in the face not to [try to snag the ball], and he’s still going to do it.”

...Before becoming Seattle’s pitching coach, Stottlemyre said he noticed how far Hernandez fell off the mound.

“I thought one thing he could do better was get him to finish up straighter,” the veteran pitching coach said, “but I’m not going to take a chance in changing him. I am more interested in the stuff he throws to home than how he finishes up after he throws it. I just don’t want him, or anyone, to be vulnerable to a line drive.