Johan Santana

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Santana was discovered in 1994 by Andres Reiner, a scout for the Houston Astros. After six weeks of training at Houston's academy in Valencia, he was told he would pitch, though he originally played center field. In 1999 he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year. After the 1999 season, the Astros left him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft; the Twins acquired him via a deal with the Florida Marlins. Santana made his MLB debut on April 3, 2000, as a reliever. In 2002, the Twins sent him to the minors for two months to work on his changeup. He led the majors in wild pitches in 2002 with 15. In 2003, he transitioned from relief to the starting rotation after spending the first four months in the bullpen, winning his last eight decisions. Due to his early success, a minor-league pitcher named Johan Santana changed his name to Ervin Santana in 2003. Santana underwent minor elbow surgery following the 2003 season. In 2004, he had a historic second half, going 13–0 with a 1.21 ERA, and set a team season record with 265 strikeouts. He won the AL Cy Young Award unanimously. In 2005, he finished with a 2.87 ERA and led the majors in strikeouts (238), finishing third in Cy Young voting. In 2006, he won the pitching Triple Crown (leading in ERA, strikeouts, and wins), becoming the first pitcher to do so since Dwight Gooden, and won his second Cy Young Award unanimously. From 2004 to 2006, he compiled a 55–19 record with a 2.75 ERA and 748 strikeouts. In 2007, he was named to his third straight All-Star Game, struck out 17 batters in eight innings on August 19 (a Twins club record), led the AL in WHIP, and won the AL Gold Glove Award for pitcher. He was traded to the New York Mets on February 2, 2008, for Carlos Gómez, Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey, and signed a six-year, $137.5 million contract.

In Their Own Story

On August 19, 2007, Santana delivered perhaps his best career game against the Texas Rangers. He struck out 17 batters over eight innings, walked none, and allowed only two hits, both to Sammy Sosa. This performance set a Twins club record for strikeouts in a single game, with a game score of 95, the highest in MLB history for a non-complete game. Earlier that year on June 19, he threw a four-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium; following the 9-0 victory, he fulfilled a bet by shaving Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven's head. Despite leading the majors in home runs allowed (33) and suffering his most losses (13) that season, he secured his first Gold Glove Award and a Fielding Bible Award. His streak of 123 consecutive starts where he pitched at least five innings ended only due to a rain delay in September 2007.

Reader's Guide

Santana is a two-time Cy Young Award winner (2004 and 2006) and a four-time All-Star. He won the pitching Triple Crown in 2006. He pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history on June 1, 2012. He led the AL in strikeouts three consecutive years (2004–2006). He set a Twins single-season strikeout record (265) in 2004. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2007.

Did You Know?

• Santana was originally a center fielder before being converted to a pitcher at the Houston Astros academy.
• In 2002, the Twins sent Santana to the minors for two months to perfect his changeup, and he sometimes threw 20 changeups in a row during games.
• Santana's 17 strikeouts in a game on August 19, 2007, set a Twins club record.
• A young minor-league pitcher named Johan Santana changed his name to Ervin Santana in 2003 to avoid confusion.