Felix Hernandez wears Kuma bear hat during no-hitter celebration
Starting pitchers are often a tight knit group and each others biggest supporters on the field and many times off the field as well.
On Wednesday afternoon in Seattle, that camaraderie was on full display as Hisashi Iwakuma bid for his first career no-hitter and the fifth in Mariners franchise history. It was also on display in amusing fashion during the on field celebration after Iwakuma sealed the deal on the Baltimore Orioles.
[RELATED: Tim Brown: Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma no-hits Orioles]
Felix Hernandez, who himself made history at Safeco Field by throwing a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012, was among the first to embrace Iwakuma on the field. But it wasn’t just the embrace that caught our attention.
The hat. Check out the hat!
King Felix is wearing the official Kuma bear hat, which was given away during a Mariners promotion in April.
For those who don’t know, Kuma actually means bear in Japanese, so that’s how it all came together. The hat was already one of the most popular items in and around Seattle. Now everybody will want to get their hands on one of the 20,000 in circulation after Iwakuma made history and Hernandez cemented its status as acceptable headwear.
The feeling of pitching a no-hitter in MLB must be pretty cool. But it must be just as cool to see one of the greatest pitchers of this or any generation charge on to the field wearing your hat and sharing in the joy.
There were a lot of special moments on Wednesday in Seattle. These images certainly rank among the best.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
