Jose Fernandez is striking everyone out, and he's not even trying

Jose Fernandez, the Miami Marlins’ ace pitcher, has seemed destined for greatness since he burst onto the scene in 2013. A Cuban defector, he wowed everybody with his virtuoso pitching, and has recovered amazingly well from 2014 Tommy John surgery. And then there’s his great smile and infectious exuberance and excitement about baseball. He’s not just good at pitching, but he’s a delight to watch. What’s even better is that greatness is even closer at hand than anyone thought.

You can watch Fernandez start for the Marlins as they take on the Cincinnati Reds, and you can watch it for free because it’s Yahoo Sports MLB Free Game of the Day. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can stream the game on the Yahoo Sports app, Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home and this very post. Local blackouts apply, per MLB rules.

Fernandez has had a great season. He’s got a 2.81 ERA and he’s allowed just 10 home runs in 22 games and 137.2 innings. And while those things are good, there’s something even more special about his stats. He’s struck out 198 batters over that span, second in all of baseball. He’s behind Max Scherzer, who has 211, but in 30 more innings. Fernandez’s 198 strikeouts over 137.2 innings equals a ratio of 12.944 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s leading that category in all of MLB, and he’s leading it by over 1.5 strikeouts per nine innings. That’s absolutely insane.

MIAMI, FL - JULY 23: Jose Fernandez #16 of the Miami Marlins pitches during a game against the New York Mets at Marlins Park on July 23, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) — Jose Fernandez (Getty Images)

As Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald pointed out, Fernandez’s strikeout rate is nearly historic.

Only Randy Johnson in 2001 (13.41 K/9) and Pedro Martinez in 1999 (13.20) struck out hitters with greater frequency. Both pitchers are in the Hall of Fame.

That is some ridiculously good company to be in. And what’s more, he’s not even trying to do it. From the Herald:

“I’m not even trying to strike people out,” Fernandez said.

With a pitcher like Fernandez, there’s always the worry that something will happen to him and his arm. His elbow has already exploded once, and that wasn’t so long ago. The Marlins are keeping this in mind, and they’ve set an innings limit for him. They don’t want him to surpass 180 innings, and so he’s skipped three starts this year so he stays under that limit.

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Of course, the Marlins are also keeping their playoff hopes in mind, because if they’re in a tough race down the stretch, or even in the Wild Card play-in game, they want Fernandez to be ready. Everyone else should, too. Because Fernandez in a playoff game? That would be a thing to see.

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