Felix Hernandez wins his 19th game of the season as Mariners down Rangers 4-3

A prolonged tip of his cap and wave to the fans in the seventh inning Sunday wasn't entirely the end of a dream season for Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.

Instead, the fun continued well after his 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers had been secured. Hernandez was in shorts in the clubhouse as the season finale ended, when he realized his Mariners had decided to take an impromptu victory lap around the field, thanking fans up close.

So he threw his clothes back on, sprinted out and was one of many players saluted by a Safeco Field crowd of 32,260 that remained in the stands by the thousands long after this 85-win season was officially in the books.

"It feels outstanding," Hernandez said of his season. "It's not about me. It's about this team. This is the most fun I've ever had in the big leagues."

But if not for Hernandez, it might have been a lot less fun.

His 19-5 record and 2.49 earned run average have virtually assured him a top-three finish in the Cy Young Award voting. It also helped his team avoid the types of losing slumps that tend to make 85-win seasons highly unlikely.

But anything seemed possible with Hernandez fronting the rotation. He retired 12 of the first 13 hitters he faced in this one and didn't allow an earned run until the Rangers scored a pair in the seventh to cut into a 4-1 lead.

Hernandez had thrown 120 pitches his last time out, and Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu didn't want to push things further.

"As a manager, it's a joy to watch," he said after the game. "He was running on fumes today."

So, Hernandez was lifted for Randy Messenger and left to a long and loud ovation. Miguel Batista pitched a scoreless eighth and David Aardsma retired the side in order in the ninth for his 38th save.

And then the fun really began.

Players and coaches hugged each other on the field, and then Mike Sweeney began rallying them for the impromptu victory lap. At one point, the players hoisted Ken Griffey Jr. onto their shoulders and carried him off the field.

Griffey had notched a single in his final at-bat in the eighth inning and was treated to a standing ovation as he was lifted for a pinch-runner. Moments later, he emerged from the dugout for a curtain call.

The cheers continued as Griffey rode his teammates' shoulders postgame and exited the field. There were tears from Griffey, who admitted later he didn't know if this was his final game.

But also plenty of laughter, especially after Sweeney crept, commando-style, into the postgame interview room with an ice-cream pie on a plate.

"It felt like one of those Arnold Schwarzenegger movies," Sweeney said. "I was on my hands and knees, bobbing and weaving through the media."

As Wakamatsu was delivering his final news conference, Sweeney inched his way forward, around the legs of the dozens of reporters and cameramen. Finally, after Wakamatsu had been asked a question about how much fun he'd had in his first year as a manager, Sweeney stormed the podium from the manager's left side and delivered a pie to the face.

"I think that answers it," Wakamatsu said, ice cream dripping from his hair, eyes and nose.

Wakamatsu abruptly ended the news conference, saying he had a beer shower to attend. The players had managed to douse the entire coaching staff, and when it was over, a soaking-wet Hernandez, his jersey reeking of beer, stood smiling at his locker attempting to summarize his season.

Hernandez said it won't be about the Cy Young, something that's in the hands of voters. And while he will head home satisfied with his results, he insists more hard work lies ahead.

Instead, he said, he'll remember what it felt like to play for a team where the players cared for each other.

"Since spring training, there was a lot of difference," he said of this season compared to last. "A lot of fun."

From a team that played hard on the field and even off it.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.

For the record

Streak: W2

Home: 48-33

Road: 37-44

v. AL West: 31-26

vs. L.A.: 9-10

vs. Oak.: 14-5

vs. Texas: 8-11

vs. AL East: 21-19

v. AL Cen.: 22-25

vs. NL: 11-7

vs. LHP: 28-30

vs. RHP: 57-47

Day: 26-22

Night: 59-55

One-run: 35-20

Extra inn.: 9-7

Home attendance

Sunday's crowd: 32,260

Season total: 2,195,128

Biggest crowd: 45,958 (April 14)

Smallest crowd: 16,002 (May 19)

Average (81 dates): 27,100

2008 average (81 dates): 28,797