Johan Alexander Santana Araque (; born March 13, 1979) is a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

. Santana pitched in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

from 2000 to 2007 and for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

from 2008 to 2012. A two-time

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

winner with the Twins, Santana is a four-time All-Star and earned a pitching triple crown in 2006. On June 1, 2012, Santana pitched the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in New York Mets history against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Professional career

Santana was discovered in 1994 by Andres Reiner, who was a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

working for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

at the time. Santana's parents agreed to let him attend Houston's academy in Valencia. When Astros scouting director Dan O'Brien called Reiner and asked if he had signed Santana to a contract, Reiner reported that he was still deciding if Santana was a better prospect as an outfielder or a pitcher. After six weeks of training, Santana was told he was going to pitch. Santana did not like it and almost left, but Reiner convinced him to stay. While originally a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

, Santana was converted to a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

at the academy due to his arm speed. In 1999 he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year.

Minnesota Twins

After the 1999 major league season, Santana was left unprotected by the

and eligible in the Rule 5 draft. The

had the first pick that year, the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

had the second. The Twins made a deal with the Marlins: the Twins would draft Jared Camp with their first pick and the Marlins would draft Santana. The teams would exchange the two players with the Twins receiving $50,000 to cover their pick. Santana made his Major League debut with the Twins on April 3, 2000, coming from the bullpen vs.

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

. He made his first MLB start on April 7, 2000, at

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

and recorded his first Major League win in a relief appearance at

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

on June 6. He put up a 6.49 ERA in 86 innings pitched in 2000, his rookie year. In 2002, the Twins sent Santana to the minors for 2 months to work almost exclusively on perfecting his changeup. He did this for 10 starts and came back up to the majors with a terrific changeup to complement his very good fastball. While in the minors, pitching coach Bobby Cuellar made Santana throw at least one changeup to every batter. According to Cuellar, Santana would sometimes throw 20 in a row during games. Santana was used as a long reliever early in his career after finding little success as a starter. In 2002, he led the majors in wild pitches, with 15. In 2003, Santana transitioned from relief to the Twins' starting rotation after spending the first four months of the season in the bullpen. He won his last eight decisions and pitched the ALDS opening game against the Yankees. Due to Santana's early major-league success with the Twins, a young minor-league pitcher in the Anaheim Angels'

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

also named Johan Santana changed his name to Ervin Santana in 2003; he also achieved major league success. Santana underwent minor elbow surgery following the season.

2004 season

In , Santana had one of the great second half performances of the modern era. He became the first pitcher since 1961 to give up four or fewer hits in 10 straight starts, and his 13–0 record broke the old Major League second-half mark shared between Burt Hooton and Rick Sutcliffe. Santana's other second-half numbers were equally impressive: 11.13 strikeouts per nine innings, 1.21 ERA, 4.74 hits per nine innings, and 6.73 baserunners per nine innings. In addition, Santana set a team season record with 265 strikeouts, surpassing the old 258 mark registered by Bert Blyleven in 1973. Santana finished in good form with a 20–6 record and led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

(AL) in strikeouts (265), ERA (2.61), strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.46),

WHIP A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

(0.92), batting average allowed (.192), OBP (.249), SLG (.315), and OPS (.564) and walked only 54 batters in 228 innings. Opponents stole just six bases in seven attempts against him, and his 20 victories ranked him second behind only Curt Schilling's 21. He easily won the AL Cy Young Award with all 28 first-place votes.

2005 season

Santana struggled in his first outing of 2005, giving up four runs in the first inning, but quickly regained his composure and returned to Cy Young-winning form in an 8–4 victory over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. In his second game, he recorded 11 strikeouts against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

as the Twins won 5–2. Santana finished the season with an ERA of 2.87, second-lowest in the AL behind Indians pitcher Kevin Millwood (2.86). However, the weak Twins club of the 2005 season cost him several otherwise-winnable games, and his winning percentage fell considerably in his second full year as a starter. He threw 238 strikeouts during the season, leading the majors, and finished third in the Cy Young voting, finishing behind winner Bartolo Colón and closer

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and " ...

2006 season

Santana won the pitching Major League Triple Crown, the first pitcher to do so since Dwight Gooden in . He completed the season leading the majors in ERA (2.77) and strikeouts (245), and tied Chien-Ming Wang in wins (19). He became the first pitcher to win the triple crown with fewer than 20 wins, and the first to win it with an ERA above 2.60. Santana also led the AL in WHIP (1.00), opposing batting average (.216), and innings pitched (233.2). He continued to add to his reputation as a great second-half pitcher, losing only one game after the All-Star break while winning 10 and posting a 2.54 ERA. A brief slump cost him the opportunity to make his 20th win of the season. No pitcher in Major League Baseball won 20 games in the 2006 season, the first time in modern major league history this occurred. Santana won his second Cy Young Award in 2006, becoming the 14th player in MLB history to win the award multiple times. He became the fifth pitcher to win the award by a unanimous vote multiple times, joining Roger Clemens, Pedro Martínez, Greg Maddux and

Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; né Braun; born December 30, 1935), nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 195 ...

, who accomplished the feat three times. From 2004 to 2006, Santana led the league in strikeouts all three years, in ERA twice, and also led in several other key statistical areas. In this three-year span, he compiled a 55–19 record with an ERA of 2.75 and WHIP of 0.96, while striking out 748 batters.

2007 season

After a slow start, with his record falling to 6–6 at one point, Santana jump-started his season with a four-hit shutout, followed by two wins. On July 1, , Santana was named as a member of the 2007 All-Star Game, his third straight appearance. On June 19, 2007, on the team bus to a game at

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Texas Rangers in which he struck out 17 batters over eight innings. He walked none and allowed only two hits, both to Sammy Sosa. His 17 strikeouts set a Twins club record for strikeouts in a game. Santana's

game score Game score is a metric devised by Bill James as a rough overall gauge of a starting pitcher's performance in a baseball game. It is designed such that scores tend to range from 0–100, with an average performance being around 50 points. F ...

of 95 is the highest by any pitcher in MLB history in a non-complete game. He led the major leagues in home runs allowed (33) and had the most losses of his career (13). Santana finished the season with only 15 wins, his lowest total since 2003. However, Santana led the AL in WHIP, was second in strikeouts with 235, and seventh in ERA. In the last game of the season, a rain delay in a road game against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

that lasted over an hour caused Santana to pitch only three innings. This ended a 123 consecutive start streak in which he pitched five innings or more. This is the third-longest consecutive-game streak for a pitcher in the past half-century. In November, it was announced Santana was awarded the AL

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

for pitcher, his first selection. He was also honored with a

Fielding Bible Award A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each baseball positions, fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on "statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that anelistswish to utilize." John D ...

as the best fielding pitcher in MLB, and finished 5th in the AL Cy Young Award voting.

New York Mets

2008 season

On February 2, 2008, Santana was traded from the Twins to the New York Mets for Carlos Gómez, Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey. The Mets and Santana agreed to a six-year, $137.5 million contract. Santana was named the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

starter, throwing 100 pitches in seven innings to earn the win against the

. On May 10, 2008, he earned his first win at Shea Stadium as a member of the New York Mets. Johan Santana releasing a pitch in May 2008

On June 1, 2008, Santana earned his 100th career victory, going 7.2 innings and allowing one run in a 6–1 win over the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. On July 27, the day after the Mets played a 14-inning game where every pitcher in the bullpen was used, Johan pitched a complete game, striking out five and getting his first RBI as a Met against the St. Louis Cardinals, improving his record to 9–7. On August 17, 2008, Santana pitched his second complete game for his 11th win of the season, allowing only three hits while walking none and striking out 7 in a 3–0 Mets shutout over the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. On September 23, Santana threw 125 pitches, a career-high to that point, in eight innings to beat the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. On September 27, in the thick of a playoff race and on the final weekend of the season, Santana pitched a complete three-hit gem in a 2–0 win against the Florida Marlins on three days' rest. It was later revealed that Santana had pitched that day, and perhaps in many other starts, with a torn meniscus in his left knee, for which he underwent successful surgery on October 1, 2008. Santana finished the 2008 regular season with a 16–7 record, posting a 2.53 ERA with 206 strikeouts, which set a Mets' single-season record for strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher, breaking Jon Matlack's 35-year record of 205 in . His 2.53 ERA led the majors and was a career-best. He also set a career-high in innings pitched and was undefeated in the second half of the season. However, he was also the victim of seven blown saves, tying for first in the majors. Santana finished in third place in the NL Cy Young Award race behind Brandon Webb and winner Tim Lincecum.

2009 season

On April 7, 2009, Johan Santana started the first game for the

in the 2009 season against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. He went 5.2 innings allowing only one earned run, going on to win. In his second start on April 12, Santana struck out 13 batters and surrendered two unearned runs over seven innings against the

only to lose for the first time since June 28, 2008, against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. On August 25 Santana was placed on the 15-day disabled list and missed the remainder of the season after having to undergo season-ending arthroscopic

surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

to remove bone chips in his left

elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

. Santana finished the season at a record of 13–9 with a 3.13 ERA. In 2009, he was ranked number 3 on the ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, behind

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (, ; born December 11, 1985) is a Dominicans, Dominican professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former first baseman and designated hitter who is the manager of the Leones del Escogido of the Domin ...

and

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...

. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.

2010 season

In a start on May 2, 2010, against

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Santana gave up 10 runs in 3 innings, the worst start in his MLB career, surpassing his previous worst start on June 14, 2009, versus the Yankees, where he allowed nine runs and nine hits in just three innings. However, in the next five starts after that, Santana gave up only seven earned runs, striking out 21 and improving his record to 4–2 with a 3.03 ERA. On July 6, Santana hit his first major league home run off of Matt Maloney of the

, which provided the Mets with their first run, and pitched a complete-game shutout to earn the win. From July 1 – 23, Santana was 3–0 with a 0.71 ERA in five starts. Santana, who was struggling to keep his 10–9 record through September 2, strained his pectoral muscle in a 65 pitch start versus Atlanta, for the second time in his career. His last game of the season was a win against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

on September 2. On September 14, he underwent 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 consecutive year that Johan had gotten injured.

2011 season

Johan Santana missed the entire 2011 major league season while he recovered from anterior capsule surgery to his left shoulder (dominant), pitching only in the minors.

2012 season

On April 5, 2012, Santana was tabbed as the Mets Opening Day starter. This marked the first time Santana pitched in the majors since September 2, 2010, when he tore the anterior capsule in his left shoulder. He went five scoreless innings against the

, striking out five batters. On May 26, Santana pitched a complete game shut-out against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, the ninth of his career. He struck out seven over nine innings and improved to 2–2 with a 2.75 ERA over his first 10 starts. On June 30, in Dodger Stadium, he scattered three hits over eight shutout innings. After three more starts, on July 21, Santana was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Mets after spraining his right ankle. Santana was again put on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his lower back on August 22. He did not pitch for the remainder of the 2012 season. Santana finished the season 6–9 with a 4.85 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 21 starts and 117

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

=No-hitter

= On June 1, in only the 11th start since returning from shoulder surgery, Santana threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals, the defending

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

champions. This was the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history, coming in their 51st season and 8,020th regular-season game. It marked only the eighth no-hitter in MLB history against a defending

champion team, the first since former Met

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New Yo ...

blanked the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in 1990. Santana walked five batters, recorded eight strikeouts, and lowered his season ERA to 2.38. He also threw a career-high 134 pitches. Notable moments in the game included a liner in the sixth inning by former Met Carlos Beltrán, which hit the foul line behind third base but was ruled foul. In the seventh inning, Mike Baxter made a difficult catch in left field, preserving the no-hitter, and then violently crashed into the wall. He left the game with a bruised left shoulder and was subsequently placed on the DL. For throwing the no-hitter, Santana was named

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

Player of the Week for the week ending June 3, 2012. It was his fifth such award and followed his teammate R. A. Dickey who won it the prior week. His pitching feat earned him the Key to the City, which was bestowed by Mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

. , Santana's no-hitter is the only solo no-hitter by a Mets pitcher, although five Mets pitchers combined to no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on April 29, 2022.

2013 season

Santana tore his shoulder capsule for the second time during early 2013. Surgery was performed on April 3, 2013, by Dr. David Altchek. He missed the entire 2013 season. On November 1, 2013, the Mets bought out his 2014 option for $5.5 million, making Santana a free agent.

Later career

On March 4, 2014, Santana signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. The contract included an invitation to Major League spring training, and Santana was due to earn $3 million if he made the Major League roster. On June 6, Santana tore his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

during an extended spring 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 The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. The contract would have paid him $2.5 million if he made the 25-man roster, and it included bonuses for active days and games started. Santana started the season on the disabled list of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons while rehabbing the shoulder muscles in his throwing arm. On June 27, Santana announced that he was ending his 2015 season due to a toe infection and planned to resume his comeback in 2016.

Pitching style

Santana's pitch repertoire included an 88–94 mph

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

along with a circle changeup, which was generally considered his best pitch, and a slider.

Personal life

Santana is the second of five children. He attended Jose Nucete Sardi High School, where he played center field. He and his wife, Yasmile, whom he has known since he was nine years old, have two daughters and a son. Santana missed the New York Mets' 2009 first regular-season game at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball park, baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Boroughs of New York, borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opened in 2009, Citi Field is the home of Major League Baseball's New York M ...

due to the birth of his son. He and his family reside in the Miromar Lakes community in Estero, Florida in Lee County. As a child playing in Little League, Santana wanted to play shortstop until coaches told him he couldn't play shortstop because he was a lefty. He then taught himself to throw right-handed so he could play shortstop. In 2006, Santana founded The Johan Santana Foundation to provide assistance to hospitals. Also in 2006, Santana and the Minnesota Twins purchased a yellow fire truck for Tovar's fire department. All proceeds from Johan's charity wine, Santana's Select, support his foundation. In 2012, the foundation contributed to Tuesday's Children, an organization that helps families impacted by 9/11 and individuals who have lost loved ones to terrorism around the world. Santana was accused of sexual battery by a woman following an incident that took place on a golf course in Florida on October 28, 2009. No criminal charges were filed. Santana contended that he had a consensual sexual encounter with his accuser. Santana's accuser later filed a civil lawsuit and Santana countersued, alleging

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...

. The matter was settled out of court in November 2012. Santana was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame in 2018 with a pregame ceremony held at Target Field on August 4.

Highlights

*''Sports Illustrated'' MLB All-Decade Team (2009) *American League

winner (2004 and 2006, both unanimous selections) * TSN Pitcher of the Year (2004, 2006) * Player's Choice Outstanding Pitcher (2004, 2006) *

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

(

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

–

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

) *American League

winner (2007) *

(2007) * Warren Spahn Award winner (2004, 2006) *Won the Triple Crown as the leader in wins (19), strikeouts (245), and ERA (2.77) in 2006 *Led AL in wins (2006) *Led AL in strikeouts (2004, 2005, 2006) *Led AL in ERA (2004, 2006) *Led NL in ERA (2008), finishing the season at (2.53). He also set a career high in IP (234.1) *Led American League in winning percentage in 2003, finishing the season at 12–3 (.800) *Threw 15 career complete games *Top 10 Cy Young Award (7th, ; Winner, ; 3rd, ; Winner, ; 5th, ; 3rd ) *Top 10 MVP Award (7th, 2006) *Fanned former teammate David Ortiz for his 1,000th career strikeout (June 13, 2006). *Set a

record with 17 strikeouts over eight innings against the Rangers.(August 19, 2007) *Signed the biggest contract for a pitcher in the history of baseball (February 1, 2008). *Threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets history on June 1, 2012, against the St. Louis Cardinals.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santana, Johan 1979 births Living people American League All-Stars American League ERA champions American League pitching Triple Crown winners American League strikeout champions American League wins champions Auburn Doubledays players Brooklyn Cyclones players Cy Young Award winners Edmonton Trappers players Gold Glove Award winners Gulf Coast Astros players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Michigan Battle Cats players Minnesota Twins players National League All-Stars National League ERA champions Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Mets players People from Tovar, Mérida Sportspeople from Mérida (state) Quad Cities River Bandits players St. Lucie Mets players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players