Johan Santana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johan Santana |
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Santana with the New York Mets in 2012
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: March 13, 1979 Tovar, Venezuela |
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| debut | |||
| April 3, 2000, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 17, 2012, for the New York Mets | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 139–78 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.20 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,988 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2022 | ||
| Vote | 81% | ||
| Election Method | Contemporary Committee | ||
Johan Alexander Santana Araque (born March 13, 1979) is a former professional baseball pitcher from Venezuela. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007 and for the New York Mets from 2008 to 2012.
Santana won the Cy Young Award twice with the Twins, which is given to the best pitcher in each league. He was also chosen for the All-Star team four times. In 2006, he achieved a rare "pitching triple crown." On June 1, 2012, Santana made history by pitching the first no-hitter for the New York Mets.
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Johan Santana's Baseball Journey
Santana was first noticed in 1994 by Andres Reiner, a scout for the Houston Astros. Santana's parents allowed him to train at Houston's baseball academy in Valencia. At first, scouts weren't sure if he should be an outfielder or a pitcher. After six weeks of training, Santana was told he would be a pitcher. He almost left because he didn't like it, but Reiner convinced him to stay. Santana was originally a center fielder, but his strong arm made him a great pitcher. In 1999, he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year.
Playing for the Minnesota Twins
After the 1999 season, the Houston Astros left Santana open for other teams to pick him in the Rule 5 draft. The Minnesota Twins had the first pick and made a deal with the Florida Marlins. The Twins drafted another player, and the Marlins drafted Santana. Then, the teams traded the two players, and the Twins got Santana.
Santana made his Major League debut with the Twins on April 3, 2000, as a relief pitcher. He started his first MLB game on April 7, 2000. He got his first Major League win as a relief pitcher on June 6. In his first year, 2000, his ERA was 6.49 in 86 innings.
In 2002, the Twins sent Santana to the minor leagues for two months. There, he worked on making his changeup pitch perfect. His pitching coach, Bobby Cuellar, made him throw many changeups in every game. Santana came back to the majors with a great changeup to go with his fast fastball.
Early in his career, Santana was mostly a reliever because he didn't do well as a starter. In 2002, he threw the most wild pitches in the majors, with 15.
In 2003, Santana became a starting pitcher for the Twins. He won his last eight games that season. He also pitched the first game of the ALDS playoffs against the New York Yankees.
Another pitcher named Johan Santana, who played for the Anaheim Angels, changed his name to Ervin Santana in 2003. This was because Johan Santana of the Twins was becoming very famous. After the 2003 season, Santana had a small surgery on his elbow.
Amazing 2004 Season
In 2004, Santana had an incredible second half of the season. He was the first pitcher since 1961 to allow four or fewer hits in 10 straight starts. His record of 13–0 in the second half broke a Major League record.
Santana's stats in the second half were amazing: 11.13 strikeouts per nine innings, 1.21 ERA, and very few hits or runners on base. He also set a team record with 265 strikeouts, beating the old record set by Bert Blyleven in 1973.
Santana finished the season with a 20–6 record. He led the American League (AL) in many important stats. These included strikeouts (265), ERA (2.61), and WHIP (0.92). He easily won the AL Cy Young Award, getting all 28 first-place votes.
2005 and 2006 Seasons
Santana had a tough first game in 2005 but quickly got back to his winning form. He finished the season with a 2.87 ERA, which was the second-lowest in the AL. He also led the majors with 238 strikeouts. He finished third in the Cy Young voting that year.
In 2006, Santana won the pitching Major League Triple Crown. This means he led the majors in three key stats: ERA (2.77), strikeouts (245), and he tied for the most wins (19). He was the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown with fewer than 20 wins.
Santana also led the AL in WHIP (1.00) and innings pitched (233.2). He continued to be a great second-half pitcher, losing only one game after the All-Star break. He won his second Cy Young Award in 2006. He was the fifth pitcher to win the award by a unanimous vote more than once.
From 2004 to 2006, Santana was one of the best pitchers in baseball. He led the league in strikeouts for three years and in ERA twice. In these three years, he had a 55–19 record with a 2.75 ERA.
2007 Season and Gold Glove
After a slow start in 2007, Santana began to pitch much better. On July 1, 2007, he was named to the 2007 All-Star Game, his third time in a row. On August 19, he had one of his best games ever against the Texas Rangers. He struck out 17 batters in eight innings, setting a Twins club record.
Santana finished the 2007 season with 15 wins. He led the AL in WHIP and was second in strikeouts with 235. In November, Santana won the AL Gold Glove Award for pitchers. This award is given to the best defensive player at each position.
Playing for the New York Mets
Joining the Mets in 2008
On February 2, 2008, Santana was traded from the Twins to the New York Mets. The Mets and Santana agreed to a six-year contract. Santana was chosen to be the Opening Day starter for the Mets. On May 10, 2008, he got his first win at Shea Stadium as a Met.
On June 1, 2008, Santana earned his 100th career victory. On September 27, in a very important game for the Mets, Santana pitched a complete game shutout. It was later found out that Santana had pitched that day with a torn knee injury. He had surgery on October 1, 2008.
Santana finished the 2008 season with a 16–7 record and a 2.53 ERA. His ERA was the best in the majors and his best ever. He also set a Mets record for strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher with 206. He finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
2009 and 2010 Seasons
On April 7, 2009, Johan Santana started the first game for the New York Mets in the 2009 season. On August 25, Santana had to have surgery on his left elbow to remove bone chips. He missed the rest of the season. Santana finished 2009 with a 13–9 record and a 3.13 ERA.
In 2009, Sporting News ranked him number 3 on their list of the 50 greatest current baseball players.
In 2010, Santana had his worst career start on May 2, giving up 10 runs. However, he quickly improved in his next games. On July 6, Santana hit his first major league home run. He also pitched a complete-game shutout in that game. On September 14, he had surgery on his left shoulder. This was the third year in a row that Johan had been injured.
2011 and 2012 Seasons
Johan Santana missed the entire 2011 season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
On April 5, 2012, Santana was the Mets' Opening Day starter. This was his first game in the majors since September 2, 2010. He pitched five scoreless innings. On May 26, Santana pitched his ninth career complete game shutout. On July 21, Santana was placed on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle. He was again put on the disabled list on August 22 with back pain and did not pitch for the rest of 2012. Santana finished the season with a 6–9 record and a 4.85 ERA.
Mets' First No-Hitter
On June 1, 2012, Santana threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. This was a huge moment because it was the first no-hitter in the New York Mets' 51-year history! It was the 8,020th regular-season game for the Mets.
Santana walked five batters and struck out eight. He threw a career-high 134 pitches. During the game, Mike Baxter made an amazing catch in left field that saved the no-hitter. He crashed into the wall and had to leave the game.
For his no-hitter, Santana was named the National League Player of the Week. He also received the Key to the City from Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
As of 2022, Santana's no-hitter is the only solo no-hitter by a Mets pitcher.
2013 Season and Beyond
Santana tore his shoulder again in early 2013 and had surgery on April 3, 2013. He missed the entire 2013 season. In November 2013, the Mets released him, making him a free agent.
On March 4, 2014, Santana signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He hoped to make it back to the major leagues. However, on June 6, Santana tore his Achilles tendon and missed the rest of the 2014 season.
On February 26, 2015, Santana signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He started the season on the disabled list while recovering from his shoulder injury. On June 27, Santana announced he was ending his 2015 season due to a toe infection. He planned to try to come back in 2016, but he never played in MLB again.
How Johan Pitched
Santana's main pitches were his 88–94 mph fastball and his circle changeup. His changeup was considered his best pitch. He also threw a slider.
About Johan's Life
Santana is the second of five children. He went to Jose Nucete Sardi High School, where he played center field. He and his wife, Yasmile, have two daughters and a son. Santana missed the Mets' first game at Citi Field in 2009 because his son was born. His family lives in Estero, Florida.
When he was a child playing Little League, Santana wanted to play shortstop. But coaches told him left-handers couldn't play that position. So, he taught himself to throw with his right hand so he could play shortstop!
In 2006, Santana started The Johan Santana Foundation to help hospitals. Also in 2006, Santana and the Minnesota Twins bought a yellow fire truck for his hometown's fire department in Tovar. Money from his charity wine, Santana's Select, supports his foundation. In 2012, his foundation helped "Tuesday's Children," an organization that supports families affected by 9/11.
Santana was chosen for the Twins Hall of Fame in 2018. A special ceremony was held for him at Target Field on August 4.
Career Highlights
- Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team (2009)
- Cy Young Award winner for the American League (2004 and 2006, both times by a unanimous vote)
- TSN Pitcher of the Year (2004, 2006)
- Player's Choice Outstanding Pitcher (2004, 2006)
- All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
- American League Gold Glove Award winner (2007)
- Fielding Bible Award (2007)
- Warren Spahn Award winner (2004, 2006)
- Won the Triple Crown in 2006 by leading in wins (19), strikeouts (245), and ERA (2.77)
- Led the AL in wins (2006)
- Led the AL in strikeouts (2004, 2005, 2006)
- Led the AL in ERA (2004, 2006)
- Led the NL in ERA (2008)
- Led the American League in winning percentage in 2003 (.800)
- Threw 15 complete games in his career
- Finished in the top 10 for the Cy Young Award many times
- Struck out former teammate David Ortiz for his 1,000th career strikeout (June 13, 2006)
- Set a Minnesota Twins record with 17 strikeouts in eight innings against the Rangers (August 19, 2007)
- Signed the biggest contract for a pitcher in baseball history at the time (February 1, 2008)
- Threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets history on June 1, 2012
Images for kids
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A robot for kids
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
- List of Minnesota Twins team records
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- Minnesota Twins award winners and league leaders
- New York Mets award winners and league leaders
