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 starting pitcher from Venezuela. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007. Later, he played for the New York Mets from 2008 to 2012. Santana won the Cy Young Award twice with the Twins. This award goes to the best pitcher in each league. He was also a four-time All-Star player. In 2006, he achieved a rare pitching triple crown. On June 1, 2012, Santana made history. He pitched the first no-hitter for the New York Mets against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Playing Professional Baseball
Johan Santana was first noticed in 1994 by Andres Reiner. Reiner was a scout for the Houston Astros. Santana's parents allowed him to join Houston's baseball academy in Venezuela. 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. However, his fast arm speed led him to become a pitcher. In 1999, he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year.
Time with the Minnesota Twins
After the 1999 season, the Houston Astros did not protect Santana. This made him available in the Rule 5 draft. The Minnesota Twins had the first pick. They made a deal with the Florida Marlins. The Twins would pick Jared Camp, and the Marlins would pick Santana. Then, the teams would trade the two players. The Twins also received $50,000.
Santana made his Major League debut with the Twins on April 3, 2000. He pitched from the bullpen against the Tampa Bay Rays. His first MLB start was on April 7, 2000, against the Kansas City Royals. He earned his first Major League win as a relief pitcher on June 6 against the Houston Astros. In his rookie year, 2000, his ERA was 6.49 over 86 innings.
In 2002, the Twins sent Santana to the minor leagues. He spent two months there working on his changeup pitch. His pitching coach, Bobby Cuellar, made him throw many changeups. Santana returned to the majors with a great changeup. This pitch went well with his strong fastball. Early in his career, Santana was a long reliever. He had not found much success as a starter. In 2002, he led the majors with 15 wild pitches.
In 2003, Santana became a starter for the Twins. He had spent the first four months of the season in the bullpen. He won his last eight decisions that year. He also pitched the first game of the ALDS playoffs against the Yankees.
Another pitcher named Johan Santana in the Anaheim Angels' minor league system changed his name. He became Ervin Santana in 2003 because of Johan Santana's success. After the 2003 season, Santana had minor elbow surgery.
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 13–0 record broke a Major League record for the second half.
Santana's other numbers in the second half were also very impressive. He had 11.13 strikeouts per nine innings, a 1.21 ERA, and allowed only 4.74 hits per nine innings. Santana also set a team record with 265 strikeouts. This broke the old record of 258 set by Bert Blyleven in 1973.
Santana finished the season with a 20–6 record. He led the American League (AL) in many categories. These included strikeouts (265), ERA (2.61), and WHIP (0.92). He allowed opponents to hit only .192 against him. He easily won the AL Cy Young Award. All 28 voters chose him for first place.
2005 Season Highlights
Santana had a tough first game in 2005. He gave up four runs in the first inning. But he quickly got back to his Cy Young-winning form. He won 8–4 against the Seattle Mariners. In his next game, he struck out 11 batters against the Chicago White Sox. The Twins won 5–2. Santana finished the season with a 2.87 ERA. This was the second-lowest in the AL. He also threw 238 strikeouts, leading all of Major League Baseball. He finished third in the Cy Young voting that year.
Winning the Triple Crown in 2006
Santana won the pitching Major League Triple Crown in 2006. He was the first pitcher to do this since Dwight Gooden in 1985. He led all of MLB in ERA (2.77) and strikeouts (245). He also tied for the most wins (19). He became the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown with fewer than 20 wins.
Santana also led the AL in WHIP (1.00) and opposing batting average (.216). He continued to be known as a great second-half pitcher. He lost only one game after the All-Star break. He won 10 games and had a 2.54 ERA.
Santana won his second Cy Young Award in 2006. He was the 14th player in MLB history to win it more than once. He was also the fifth pitcher to win the award by a unanimous vote multiple times.
From 2004 to 2006, Santana led the league in strikeouts for three years. He also led in ERA twice. In these three years, he had a 55–19 record. His ERA was 2.75, and his WHIP was 0.96. He struck out 748 batters.
2007 Season and Gold Glove
After a slow start, Santana improved his season. On July 1, 2007, he was named to the 2007 All-Star Game. This was his third straight appearance. On June 19, 2007, Santana pitched a complete-game shutout. The Twins won 9–0. The next day, Santana shaved his teammate Bert Blyleven's head. Blyleven had promised to do this if Santana pitched a shutout. Santana had one of his best games on August 19 against the Texas Rangers. He struck out 17 batters in eight innings. He did not walk anyone and allowed only two hits. His 17 strikeouts set a Twins club record.
Santana finished the season with 15 wins. This was his lowest total since 2003. However, he led the AL in WHIP. He was second in strikeouts with 235 and seventh in ERA. In November, Santana won the AL Gold Glove Award for pitcher. This was his first time winning it. He also received a Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding pitcher in MLB.
Joining the New York Mets
2008 Season and Career Best ERA
On February 2, 2008, Santana was traded from the Twins to the New York Mets. The Mets and Santana agreed to a six-year, $137.5 million contract. Santana was chosen as the Opening Day starter. He pitched seven innings and earned the win against the Florida Marlins. 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. He pitched 7.2 innings and allowed one run in a 6–1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On July 27, Santana pitched a complete game. He struck out five batters and got his first RBI as a Met. This was against the St. Louis Cardinals. On August 17, 2008, Santana pitched his second complete game. He allowed only three hits and struck out 7 in a 3–0 Mets shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On September 27, Santana pitched a complete three-hit game. This was a 2–0 win against the Florida Marlins. It was later found that Santana had pitched with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He had surgery on October 1, 2008.
Santana finished the 2008 season with a 16–7 record. He had a 2.53 ERA and 206 strikeouts. His 2.53 ERA led all of MLB and was his career best. He also pitched the most innings in his career. He was undefeated in the second half of the season. Santana finished third in the NL Cy Young Award race.
2009 Season and Injury
On April 7, 2009, Johan Santana started the first game for the New York Mets in the 2009 season. He won the game against the Cincinnati Reds. In his second start on April 12, Santana struck out 13 batters. However, he lost the game for the first time since June 28, 2008. On August 25, Santana was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He missed the rest of the season. He had arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow. Santana finished the season with a record of 13–9 and a 3.13 ERA.
In 2009, Sporting News ranked him number 3 on their list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball.
2010 Season and Shoulder Surgery
On May 2, 2010, Santana had his worst MLB start against Philadelphia. He gave up 10 runs in 3.2 innings. However, in his next five starts, Santana gave up only seven earned runs. On July 6, Santana hit his first major league home run. This was against Matt Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds. He also pitched a complete-game shutout to win. From July 1 to 23, Santana was 3–0 with a 0.71 ERA in five starts. Santana strained his pectoral muscle on September 2. This was his last game of the season. On September 14, he had surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Santana ended his season with a record of 11–9 and an ERA of 2.98. This was the third year in a row that Johan had an injury.
2011 Season Recovery
Johan Santana missed the entire 2011 major league season. He was recovering from surgery on his left shoulder. He only pitched in the minor leagues that year.
2012 Season and Historic No-Hitter
On April 5, 2012, Santana was the Mets' Opening Day starter. This was his first time pitching in the majors since September 2, 2010. He pitched five scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves. On May 26, Santana pitched a complete game shutout against the San Diego Padres. This was the ninth of his career. He struck out seven batters over nine innings. On June 30, he pitched eight shutout innings against the Dodgers. After three more starts, Santana was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 21. He had sprained his right ankle. Santana was again put on the disabled list on August 22. He had inflammation in his lower back. He did not pitch for the rest of the 2012 season. Santana finished the season with a 6–9 record. His ERA was 4.85, and he had 111 strikeouts in 21 starts.
First Mets No-Hitter
On June 1, 2012, Santana threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. This was only his 11th start since returning from shoulder surgery. It was the first no-hitter in Mets team history. This happened in their 51st season and 8,020th regular-season game. It was only the eighth no-hitter in MLB history against a defending World Series champion team. Santana walked five batters and recorded eight strikeouts. He also threw a career-high 134 pitches.
A key moment happened in the seventh inning. Mike Baxter made a difficult catch in left field. This saved the no-hitter. He crashed into the wall and left the game with a bruised shoulder.
For throwing the no-hitter, Santana was named National League Player of the Week. This was for the week ending June 3, 2012. It was his fifth such award. 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. Five Mets pitchers combined to no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies on April 29, 2022.
2013 Season and Free Agency
Santana tore his shoulder capsule for the second time in early 2013. He had surgery on April 3, 2013. He missed the entire 2013 season. On November 1, 2013, the Mets bought out his 2014 contract option. This made Santana a free agent.
Later Career Attempts
On March 4, 2014, Santana signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He would earn $3 million if he made the Major League team. On June 6, Santana tore his Achilles tendon during a training start. He missed the rest of the 2014 MLB season.
On February 26, 2015, Santana signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He would have been paid $2.5 million if he made the team. Santana started the season on the disabled list. He was recovering from shoulder muscle issues. On June 27, Santana announced he was ending his 2015 season. He had a toe infection. He planned to try to come back in 2016.
Pitching Style
Santana's pitches included an 88–94 mph fastball. He also had a circle changeup, which was considered his best pitch. He also threw a slider.
Personal Life
Santana is the second of five children. He went to Jose Nucete Sardi High School. There, he played center field. He and his wife, Yasmile, have two daughters and a son. Santana missed the New York Mets' first game at Citi Field in 2009 because his son was born. He and his family live in Estero, Florida.
When he was a child playing Little League, Santana wanted to play shortstop. But coaches told him he couldn't because he was left-handed. So, he taught himself to throw right-handed so he could play shortstop.
In 2006, Santana started The Johan Santana Foundation. This foundation helps hospitals. Also in 2006, Santana and the Minnesota Twins bought a yellow fire truck for Tovar's fire department. Money from Johan's charity wine, Santana's Select, supports his foundation. In 2012, the foundation helped Tuesday's Children. This group helps families affected by 9/11.
Santana was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame in 2018. A ceremony was held at Target Field on August 4.
Career Highlights
- Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team (2009)
- American League Cy Young Award winner (2004 and 2006, both times by unanimous vote)
- TSN Pitcher of the Year (2004, 2006)
- Player's Choice Outstanding Pitcher (2004, 2006)
- All-Star (2005–2007, 2009)
- American League Gold Glove Award winner (2007)
- Fielding Bible Award (2007)
- Warren Spahn Award winner (2004, 2006)
- Won the Triple Crown in 2006. He led in wins (19), strikeouts (245), and ERA (2.77).
- Led AL in wins (2006).
- Led AL in strikeouts (2004, 2005, 2006).
- Led AL in ERA (2004, 2006).
- Led NL in ERA (2008) with 2.53. He also pitched a career-high 234.1 innings.
- Led American League in winning percentage in 2003, finishing 12–3 (.800).
- Threw 15 career complete games.
- Finished in the Top 10 for the Cy Young Award multiple times (7th in 2003; Winner in 2004; 3rd in 2005; Winner in 2006; 5th in 2007; 3rd in 2008).
- Finished 7th in MVP Award voting in 2006.
- 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, against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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See also
In Spanish: Johan Santana para niños
