SEATTLE — Someday, Mark Hendrickson will get to pitch in front of area fans again.

By a quirk of fate, the Mount Vernon High School graduate’s turn in the rotation has not come up for four straight trips to Seattle. Local fans have not gotten to see him pitch at Safeco Field since Aug. 11, 2003, when he was with his first team, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hendrickson was back in Seattle this week with his fourth team, the Florida Marlins, who are one of the National League’s biggest surprises this year. With one of baseball’s lowest payrolls and youngest rosters, the Marlins sit in second place in the National League East, just a few games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

Now in his seventh major-league season, Hendrickson, 34, seems happy, relaxed and content in his role as the rotation’s eldest statesman. The Marlins’ starting rotation also includes Andrew Miller (23), Scott Olsen (24), Ricky Nolasco (25), Burke Badenhop (25) and Ryan Tucker (22).

Since the last time we caught up with Hendrickson, he has been traded once, made his first playoff appearance in 2006, and most recently signed with the Marlins before the 2008 season. He has a 7-5 record with a 5.74 earned run average thus far.

Hendrickson took a few minutes before Tuesday’s game in Seattle to talk to the Skagit Valley Herald about this season, his new team, and where he is in his major league career.Read The Full Story