Too bad Sid Fernandez isn't pitching today.

Who else better exemplifies the 50th State's 50th anniversary of statehood than the man who wore No. 50?

The left-hander enjoyed the most success of the 30 major league players who played their high-school ball here, having pitched in 15 big-league seasons, becoming the first player born and raised from Hawai'i to participate in the All-Star Game. He also earned a World Series title with the New York Mets while receiving Cy Young Award votes, and finished with a hits-per-nine-inning ratio that is topped in the majors only by Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martinez.

The secret to El Sid's success might have been his unusual pitching motion in which there was a hesitation after stepping toward the plate followed by a short-armed whipping motion. His ball was not delivered over the top but seemed to come out at shoulder height, exploding toward the batter.

"I think it was his delivery (that made him successful)," said Clay Fujie, his coach at Kaiser High who now is the district superintendent of the Department of Defense Educational Activity in Japan, overseeing 21 schools in military bases.

"His ball moved upward, like a fast-pitch (softball) riser. He had good velocity and had a good curve and changeup. You couldn't sit on one pitch."

Fernandez started drawing attention when he was at Kaiser, from where he graduated in 1981.

"(My) first impression was, 'Boy, this kid is talented. He's special,' " Fujie recalled. "I had heard about him prior to that and read about him. I never saw anyone like him."

Fernandez helped the Cougars win the O'ahu Interscholastic Association title his junior year and the state title his senior year.

He was so dominant that teams "did different things to try to compensate for him," Fujie said. "I remember Roosevelt had scouted us and their scouting report said he had trouble with control against left-handers (hitters)."

So all the Roosevelt batters, regardless if they were natural right-handed hitters, batted left-handed the first time around in the batting order.

"They couldn't hit him anyway. They were banking he would have control problems," Fujie said. "I think the third batter got a pitch at his head. I felt for those (natural) right-handed hitters. How do you bail out if the ball is coming?"

In the summer after he graduated, Fernandez was drafted in the third round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He quickly ascended through the farm system, jumping from Single-A to Triple-A the following year, his first full season as a pro. He pitched for the Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast League and pitched against the Hawai'i Islanders at Aloha Stadium that summer. At the tender age of 20, he made his big-league debut with the Dodgers in 1983, making two appearances.

But Fernandez's Dodger career was short-lived, as he was traded in the offseason to the New York Mets in a deal that involved, ironically, another Hawai'i pitcher in Castle High alum Carlos Diaz.

Fernandez's career flourished on the East Coast. He would spend the next 10 seasons with the Mets, helping them make the postseason in 1986 and 1988. He would make three relief appearances totaling 6 2/3 innings to help the Mets win the '86 World Series.

In Game 7 — following the famous Bill Buckner play in Game 6 — Fernandez played a pivotal role for the Mets.

Down 3-0, Fernandez replaced starter Ron Darling and retired seven batters in a row, including four by strikeouts and seemingly stealing the momentum away from the Red Sox with every strikeout.

The Mets eventually scored three runs in the sixth inning and three in the seventh to win the title, 8-5.

Moreover, Fernandez was named to the All-Star Game in 1986 and 1987. In the '87 game, he pitched a scoreless inning of relief to register a save in the National League's 2-0 win in 13 innings at Oakland.

Fernandez's winningest season was 1986, when he was 16-6, but his 14-5 record (.737) in 1989 was the best winning percentage in the NL.

On three occasions — 1985, 1988, 1990 — he would rank first in least hits allowed per nine innings. His 5.71 hits allowed average in 1985 is reportedly the second-best in National League history behind Carl Lundgren's 5.65 in 1907.

That same year, Fernandez ranked No. 1 in the majors with a strikeouts per nine inning ratio of 9.5.

His last season with the Mets was in 1993.

Fernandez would bounce around his final four years with the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros before calling it a career in 1997. He finished with a 114-96 career record and 3.36 earned run average. He made 300 starts, with 25 complete games and nine shutouts. He also received votes for the NL Cy Young Award in 1986.

Fernandez did make a surprise attempt to return to the game in 2001, when he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees.

He pitched one game, but ended up on the disabled list, prompting a final retirement.