If the Minnesota Twins have good fortune left in their season it will surely be heavily influenced by Johan Alexander Santana. A recovery in the playoff race that has the Twins chasing a wild card spot will be led by the Twins left hander who is arguably baseball’s best pitcher and without dispute the best second half of the season pitcher in the majors.
Saturday night in Cleveland, Santana had a no hitter with two out in the sixth inning pitching for the desperate Twins who had lost five straight and eight of their last 10. Santana made it through seven innings, then left the game with the score 2-2. The Twins went on to win 3-2, briefly ending their miseries. The victory was followed by yesterday’s 4-1 win, giving the Twins two of three in the three game series against the Indians and leaving Minnesota seven games back of Detroit in the Central Division.
Earlier this month Twins pitcher Scott Baker was asked what he admires about Santana. He mentioned the two time Cy Young Award winner’s consistency game after game to deliver six or so solid innings. “I would say that’s the most amazing thing,” Baker said. “Just the fact that he’s able to do that.”
Since the All-Star game on July 10, Santana has a 1-2 record, allowing just 11 earned runs in four starts. Although he was 10-6 before the All-Star game, typically he’s shown some of his best pitching during the post-All-Star game period. During his major league career through 2006, Santana’s pre-All-Star game record was 33-21, with a 3.76 ERA. His post-All-Star game record: 45-10 with a 2.55 ERA. Last season he was 10-1 with a 2.54 ERA after the All-Star game.
Santana rolls out the monster pitching in August, September and October. To date in his career he is 15-9 in July, 21-4 in August and 14-4 in September/October. A Sports Illustrated feature earlier this month said Santana bests all major league pitchers from 2004-2006 in post-All-Star Game wins, winning percentage, opponents’ batting average and ERA.
“You know it’s unbelievable,” Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said recently. He has been Santana’s coach since 2002 and said Santana should have been voted the Cy Young winner in 2005 by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 2004 and 2006 Santana won the award receiving all 28 first place votes each year.
Anderson said when Santana is most extraordinary he has “command” of his fast ball. The combo offering of that fast ball with a “great change up” and “good slider” makes the 28-year-old Venezuelan special.
Baseball’s best pitcher? “Absolutely,” Anderson said. “What he’s done over the years, he actually should be having three Cy Youngs in a row. I mean that’s unheard of. That’s for your hall of famers, your Roger Clemenses, your great ones, and he’s right up there with them.”