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I needed to be doused in water after dashing to make it to Safeco Field in time to watch Felix Hernandez make history. Then again, maybe I needed a 93 mph fastball to the noggin to remember to never take a King Felix start for granted.

You should never miss a Felix Hernandez start at Safeco Field.

I tell myself this all the time. But I don't obey it enough. There's always another column that distracts me or a project to finish or a chore to do. Too many times, I'm left to watch the greatest athlete in Seattle team sports on television or to DVR the game and catch him later. Nevertheless, I hadn't ever truly regretted passing on the opportunity to see Hernandez live.

Until Wednesday.

Well, sort of.

Hernandez made history Wednesday afternoon at Safeco Field, tossing the Mariners' first perfect game and the 23rd all-time in Major League Baseball. And for the first six innings of his masterpiece, I was at home, transcribing audio interviews for a weekend project and bargaining with myself about when I should dash off to the ballpark in case IT happened.

After the sixth inning, after about an hour and 38 minutes of watching Hernandez shut down the Tampa Bay Rays, I decided to hustle.

And so, let me offer you a timeline that I hope provides a different perspective of what this historic day was like. So many people experienced it in different ways. Maybe this post will inspire you to share your story. I'd love to hear it. Only 21,889 fans were lucky enough to witness it live, and unfortunately, some left early (more on that later).

Here's my dash to greatness:

2:16 p.m.: As the sixth inning ends, this very slow sports columnist realizes, "Hey, if Felix does this, I can't be at home on my couch. Better mobilize." I run from our Ballard home to my car.

2:17 p.m.: Forgot something in the house. Damn.

2:18 p.m.: Mad at the Metro for blocking the road and making it difficult to make a right turn.

2:23 p.m.: Mad at a semi-truck for blocking the road on Elliott Ave. This ingress is to Safeco Field -- or should I consider it egress from Ballard? -- is making me, uh, rue the day I jumped in late on Felix's big day. The Mariners' transportation experts -- one of Chris Hansen's would-be foils -- probably think they can use this, even though I'm still several miles away from Sodo.

2:28 p.m.: Mad at the Mariners' offense for not being mighty enough to stall the game by getting runners on base. One out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

2:30 p.m.: Mad at the Mariners' offense again. The thought of the perfect game being broken up crosses my mind, but I quickly dismiss it. Hernandez had come too far. Heck, I was driving too far.

2:38 p.m.: Still driving, but praising shortstop Brendan Ryan for a long at-bat. They're also having a riveting discussion on the Mariners radio about Ryan's stirrups and support hose. Yes, really. And, yes, riveting. The more they talked about it, the longer Ryan was at-bat, the more disturbingly interested I became and the better I felt about making it in time for at least the ninth inning.

2:44 p.m.: I park and start running toward Safeco Field. On my way in, I notice that a lot of summer-camp kids who attended the game are exiting en masse. It's the eighth inning, the crowd is so loud that I can hear the roar from across the street, Hernandez is destined for history ... and the kids are on such a strict schedule that they have to get on the bus and miss history. Really?!?!?!?! It was sad for them. It didn't seem fair. (Then again, the kids probably thought the game was boring because of the lack of hits. Sigh.)

2:48 p.m. I hear a thunderous roar as Hernandez strikes out the side in the eighth inning and stands three outs away from a perfect game. A good number of people race into the stadium along with me just hoping to witness three more outs.

2:49 p.m.: I walk into the stadium, sweating, and head to the press box.

2:52 p.m.: My colleagues greet me with the obligatory mock congratulations. "You finally made it," several of them say. I get out my notebook.

2:57 p.m.: Hernandez receives a standing ovation, and "Let's Go Felix!" chants erupt from the King's Court fan section as he trots to the mound for the ninth inning.

2:59 p.m.: Hernandez strikes out pinch hitter Desmond Jennings. One out. Two outs away.

3:00 p.m: Hernandez Hernandez gets pinch hitter Jeff Keppinger to ground out to Ryan. Two outs. One more!

3:02 p.m.: Hernandez strikes out Sean Rodriguez. Euphoria for the King and his teammates. And a sigh of relief for a very slow sports columnist.

I didn't really see my first perfect game live Wednesday. I saw about one-ninth of my first perfect game. It was fun. It was frantic. And now, I'm back to that familiar warning.

You should never miss a Felix Hernandez start at Safeco Field.

He's scheduled to pitch again on Tuesday. We'll find out how much I've learned.