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New York Mets
2012 New York Mets season
Established	1962
100px Team logo Cap insignia
Major league affiliations
National League (1962–present) National League East (1969–present)
Current uniform
275px
Retired numbers	14, 37, 41, 42, Shea
Colors
Blue, orange, white, & black
Name
New York Mets (1962–present)
Other nicknames
The Amazin's, The Metropolitans, The Miracle Mets (1969)
Ballpark
Citi Field (2009–present) Shea Stadium (1964–2008) Polo Grounds (1962–1963)
Major league titles
World Series titles (2)	1969 • 1986
NL Pennants (4)	1969 • 1973 • 1986 • 2000
East Division titles (5)	1969 • 1973 • 1986 • 1988 • 2006
Wild card berths (2)	1999 • 2000
Front office
Owner(s)	Sterling Mets, L.P. (Fred Wilpon, Chairman & CEO)
Manager	Terry Collins
General Manager	Sandy Alderson

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. During the 1962 and 1963 seasons, the Mets played their home games at the Polo Grounds. From 1964 to 2008, the Mets' home ballpark was Shea Stadium. In 2009, they moved into a new stadium, Citi Field.

In their 1962 inaugural season, the Mets posted a record of 40–120, the worst regular season record since Major League Baseball went to a 162-game season (two games from their inaugural season were never made up). The team never finished better than second to last until the 1969 "Miracle Mets" beat the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in World Series history.^[1] Since, they have played in three additional World Series, including a dramatic run in 1973 that ended in a seven game loss to the Oakland Athletics, a second championship in 1986 against the Boston Red Sox that was cited in the Curse of the Bambino, and a Subway Series against their cross-town rivals the New York Yankees in the 2000 World Series which they lost in five games.

Recent years have again seen the team face struggles, including elimination from postseason contention on the last game of the season in both 2007 (regarded as one of the worst regular season collapses in baseball history) and again in 2008, followed by three losing seasons plagued by injuries and financial difficulties in the wake of the Madoff investment scandal.

Franchise history[link]

In 1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants relocated from New York to California to become the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, leaving the largest city in the United States with no National League franchises and only one Major League team. With the threat of a New York team in a third league, the National League expanded, adding the New York Mets. The new team took as its primary colors the blue of the Dodgers and the orange of the Giants (which are conveniently two of the three colors on the New York City flag), and took their name from the original 19th century New York Metropolitans club.^[2]

The Mets current stadium, Citi Field

For the first two years of its existence, the team played its home games at the historic Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. In 1964, they moved into newly constructed Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, where the Mets stayed through the 2008 season. In 2009, the club moved into Citi Field, located adjacent to the former site of Shea Stadium.

During their history, the Mets have won two World Series titles (1969 and 1986), four National League pennants (1969, 1973, 1986, 2000) and five National League East titles (1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 2006). The Mets also qualified for the postseason as the National League Wild Card team in 1999 and 2000. The Mets have appeared in more World Series—four—than any other expansion team in Major League Baseball history. Their two championships equal the tally of the Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins for the most titles among expansion teams.

The Mets held the New York baseball attendance record for 29 years. They broke the Yankees' 1948 record by drawing nearly 2.7 million in 1970. The Mets broke their own record five times before the Yankees took it back in 1999.^[3][4]

Until June 1, 2012, no pitcher in Mets history had thrown a no-hitter, and the franchise's hurlers had gone 8,019 ^[5] games without pitching one—longer than any other Major League franchise. They were one of only two current Major League teams to never have a pitcher throw a no-hitter, the other being the San Diego Padres. Long time Mets ace Tom Seaver, who threw five one-hitters as a Met, eventually threw a no-hitter, but by then he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Similarly, the ace of the 1986 team, Dwight Gooden, threw his no-hitter for the Yankees (in 1996), and David Cone, who starred for the Mets from 1987–1992, threw a perfect game later in his career, also as a Yankee. The ultimate example of this trend is Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who started his career with the Mets, but threw a record seven no-hitters after leaving the club.

However, on June 1, 2012, Johan Santana tossed a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals in an 8-0 victory. Santana was risking being pulled after he went over his pitch cap placed by the team because of his shoulder surgery. Santana stayed in the game, however, and, with the help of a few great plays and a controversial call, pulled off the first no-hitter in Mets history.^[6]

The 1962 Mets posted a 40–120 record, one of the worst in major-league history, and the most losses in one season since 1899. In 1966, the Mets famously bypassed Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in the amateur draft, instead selecting Steve Chilcott, who never played in the majors. But the following year, they acquired Hall of Famer Tom Seaver in a lottery. Seaver helped the 1969 "Miracle Mets" win the new National League East division title, and then defeat the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles to win the 1969 World Series.

In 1973, the Mets rallied from last place to win the division, despite a record of only 82–79. They shocked the heavily-favored Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" in the NLCS and pushed the defending World Series Champion Oakland Athletics to a seventh game, but lost. This National League pennant was notable because it was the only NL East title between 1970 and 1980 that wasn't won by either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[7][8]

Star pitcher Tom Seaver was traded in 1977, a day remembered in the sports world as "the Midnight Massacre," and the Mets fell into last place for several years. The franchise turned around in the mid-1980s. In 1985, they acquired Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter from the Montreal Expos and won 98 games, but narrowly missed the playoffs. In 1986, they easily won the division with one of the best records in National League history. After winning a dramatic NLCS in six games over the Houston Astros, they came within one strike of losing the World Series against the Boston Red Sox before a series of hits and defensive miscues ultimately led to an error by Boston's Bill Buckner which gave the Mets a Game 6 victory. They then won Game 7 to win their second World Series.

The Mets continued playing well after 1986 and won the division in 1988, but lost the playoffs that year and declined into the 1990s. They were out of contention until the 1997 season when they narrowly missed the playoffs. In 1998, the Mets acquired Mike Piazza in a blockbuster trade and missed the 1998 postseason by only one game. In 1999, they made the playoffs in a one game playoff but lost the 1999 National League Championship Series to the Atlanta Braves. In 2000, they easily clinched a wild card spot in the playoffs, and earned a trip to the 2000 World Series against their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees for a "Subway Series". The Mets were defeated by the Yankees in five games.

The Mets were not a factor in the standings again until 2006. They won the division and went to Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, but lost on a 9th inning home run by Yadier Molina.

In 2007, the Mets entered the final 17 games in the season with a seven-game lead in the division. The Mets fell down in the standings throughout those games and needed to win their final two games of the season. The Mets won that Saturday, but on Sunday, Tom Glavine gave up seven runs in the first inning. The Mets managed only one run that day and were eliminated.

The Mets held a more modest 3.5 game lead after 145 games of the 2008 season, their final season at Shea Stadium. While their 7–10 mark down the stretch was slightly better than the previous season's 5–12, it still allowed the Phillies to pass them, once again. The Mets opened Citi Field in 2009, but were not a factor due to a rash of injuries to numerous key players including, but not limited to, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez. The plague of injuries plummeted the Mets to a 70–92 record. The Mets did not fare any better in 2010, finishing with a losing record and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Mets finished with a 79–83 record, coming in fourth place in the National League East.

Upon the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Mets front office fired General Manager Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel. Former Oakland G.M. and MLB executive Sandy Alderson was hired to run the team. Alderson hired Terry Collins to replace Manuel as manager.

The Wilpons are currently facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit on behalf of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme victims. As a result of this, and to deal with other financial issues, the Wilpons agreed to sell a minority share of the team to David Einhorn, a hedge fund manager and longtime Mets fan.^[9] However, that deal fell apart, leading the Wilpons to pursue a different strategy of selling small stakes to multiple minority owners.^[10]

Despite yet another losing season, the Mets made history in 2011 when Jason Isringhausen converted his 300th save with the team, the third player in franchise history to reach the milestone while with the organization behind John Franco and Billy Wagner. Also, José Reyes became the first Met in franchise history to win a National League batting title with .337 batting average. In 2012, the Mets will try to bounce back from 3 consecutive losing seasons, but it will be especially tough since the Mets lost José Reyes via free agency, when he signed a six year, $106 million contract with the Miami Marlins. On June 1, 2012, Johan Santana earned the Mets franchise their first No-Hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.^[11]

Theme song[link]

"Meet the Mets" is the Mets' signature song, written in 1961, one year before the first season, by Bill Katz and Ruth Roberts. It is played on the radio, during television broadcasts and at Mets' home games.^[12]

Mascot[link]

Mr. Met is the official mascot of the New York Mets. He was first introduced on the cover of game programs in 1963, when the Mets were still playing at the Polo Grounds in northern Manhattan.^[13] When the Mets moved to Shea Stadium in 1964, fans were introduced to a live costumed version.^[13] Mr. Met is believed to have been the first mascot in Major League Baseball to exist in human (as opposed to artistically rendered) form.^[13]

Uniform and logo symbolism[link]

The Mets' colors are blue, orange, black and white. Blue and orange were originally chosen to honor the city's history of National League baseball; blue for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and orange for the New York Giants. Blue and orange are also the colors of New York City, as seen on its flag.

Logo[link]

The cap logo is identical to the logo used by the New York Giants in their final years, and is on a blue cap reminiscent of the caps worn by the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the primary logo, designed by sports cartoonist Ray Gatto, each part of the skyline has special meaning—at the left is a church spire, symbolic of Brooklyn, the borough of churches; the second building from the left is the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the tallest building in Brooklyn; next is the Woolworth Building; after a general skyline view of midtown comes the Empire State Building; at the far right is the United Nations Building. The bridge in the center symbolizes that the Mets, by bringing National League baseball back to New York, represent all five boroughs.^[2]

With the introduction of black as an official color, an alternate team logo was created. It is identical to the original logo, but the skyline is black instead of blue and the "Mets" script is blue trimmed in orange and white instead of orange trimmed in white.

In 1999, the logo received a slight alteration. The "NY" to the left of the team script was removed. No other notable changes were made.

Uniform color and design[link]

Jerry Koosman wearing his mid-1960s era Mets jersey, which served as an inspiration for the current Mets pinstriped uniform.

Currently, the Mets wear an assortment of uniforms.

On November 16, 2011, the Mets announced new uniforms for their 2012 season, as part of the unveiling of their 50th anniversary plans.^[14] Among the changes included the removal of the black drop-shadows that had been present on Mets jerseys since 1998. The off-white pinstriped jersey, introduced as an alternate in 2010, becomes the primary home jersey while the plain-white jersey with blue placket and sleeve piping, first introduced in 1997, is now the home alternate. Both uniforms will feature the "Mets" script, player numerals and names in blue outlined in orange, and both be worn only with the team's traditional blue cap with orange crest (although the orange button on top of the cap has been retained), blue undersleeves, belts and socks. A 50th Anniversary patch will also replace the regular Mets baseball/skyline logo on the left sleeves for 2012. They will also be wearing a patch that has homeplate, and the number 8 in the middle of it to recognize the recent death of Hall of Fame catcher, Gary Carter.

The black drop-shadow has also been removed from the team's gray road uniforms. The jerseys feature a radially-arched "NEW YORK" script in Tiffany style, player numerals and names in blue outlined in orange, and blue placket and sleeve piping. Like the home uniforms, the road grays will be worn only with blue caps, undersleeves, belts and socks, and will have the 50th Anniversary patch in place of the Mets skyline logo on the left sleeves for 2012.

The Mets will keep a black jersey in their rotation for one more season, along with the solid black cap with blue/white/orange logo crest; the two-tone black cap with blue bill and blue/orange crest has been eliminated. The black jerseys and caps will be worn as an occasional road alternate in 2012 before being retired and replaced with a blue alternate in 2013.^[15] The Mets have worn a home version, with the "Mets" script, since 1998, and from 2000–2007 also wore a road version with "New York" in Tiffany lettering, both in blue outlined in white with an orange drop-shadow.

Another variation on the Mets uniform features a solid blue jersey with "Los Mets" written in orange with white trim, worn with solid white pants. The uniform was created for Fiesta Latina, but continues to be worn occasionally at home games.^[16]

The standard cap is blue with an orange "NY" logo. An all black alternate cap with a blue "NY" logo trimmed in orange and white has been worn with the black jerseys. The batting helmets worn for each game match the cap colors (solid blue or solid black, with corresponding logos). For 2012, the Mets will wear the blue cap for all uniform combinations except for when they wear the black jerseys.

The Mets also wear blue socks when paired with the blue caps, and black socks when paired with the black caps.

Players of note[link]

Baseball Hall of Famers[link]

Hall of famer Tom Seaver at Shea Stadium, 1974.

Retired numbers[link]

Casey Stengel M: 1962–1965 Retired September 2, 1965

Gil Hodges* 1B: 1962–63 M: 1968–71 Retired June 9, 1973

Tom Seaver* P: 1966-77, 83 Retired July 24, 1988

Jackie Robinson Retired by all of MLB Retired April 15, 1997

William A. Shea Proponent Honored April 8, 2008

Tom Seaver is the only Met to win the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award in 1969 and was voted the Mets' "Hometown Hero" in a 2006 poll sponsored by DHL.^[18][19]

Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson's number 42 on April 15, 1997, when the Mets played the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. Butch Huskey wore the number throughout the rest of his Mets career due to a grandfather clause placed on the retired number by MLB.^[20] Mo Vaughn also wore number 42 during his stint with the Mets, due to the same clause.^[20]

On the final Opening Day at Shea Stadium, April 8, 2008, the Mets unveiled a sign bearing the name "Shea" next to the team's retired numbers honoring William Shea and his contributions to the franchise.^[21]

Numbers out of circulation but not retired[link]

• #8: Not issued since Gary Carter was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003.^[22] When the Mets honored Carter, they did not retire number 8, but instead gave him a replica of his Hall of Fame plaque depicting him as a Met instead of an Expo. Desi Relaford was the last Met to wear No. 8 as a player; Matt Galante was the last to wear it as a coach. After Carter's death, the Mets honored him in a ceremony on opening day, April 5, 2012. On that occasion the Mets unveiled the "Kid 8" memorial logo (the same one worn on the uniform sleeve) on the outfield fence. However, number 8 is still not officially retired.^[23]
• #24: Issued to two players since the retirement of Willie Mays. Then-team owner Joan Whitney Payson had promised Mays it wouldn't be issued again. The first time was to first baseman-outfielder Kelvin Torve in 1990, by mistake. The second was to Rickey Henderson in 1999–2000 as a player and again in 2007 as a coach.^[22]
• #31: Not issued since Mike Piazza left after the 2005 season. This number belonged to John Franco from the time he joined the Mets in 1990 until the team acquired Piazza in 1998.^[22]

Rivalries[link]

Atlanta Braves[link]

The Braves–Mets rivalry is a rivalry between two teams in the National League East, featuring the Atlanta Braves and the Mets.^[24]

Although their first major confrontation occurred when the Mets swept the Braves in the 1969 National League Championship Series, en route to their first World Series championship, the first playoff series won by an expansion team (also the first playoff appearance by an expansion team), the rivalry did not become especially heated until the 1990s, when division realignment put the Mets and the Braves in the same division,^[25][26] and the Braves became one of the most dominant baseball teams in professional baseball.

Philadelphia Phillies[link]

The rivalry between the Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies from 2006 to 2008 was said to be among the "hottest" rivalries in the National League,^[27][28] along with the Cardinals–Cubs and the Dodgers–Giants rivalries.^[29] The two National League East divisional rivals have met each other recently in playoff, division, and Wild Card races.

Aside from several brawls in the 1980s, the rivalry remained low-key before the 2006 season,^[30] as the teams had seldom been equally good at the same time. Since 2006, the teams have battled for playoff position. The Mets won the division in 2006 and contended in 2007 and 2008, while the Phillies won five consecutive division titles from 2007 to 2011.^[31] The Phillies' 2007 Eastern Division Title was won on the last day of the season as the Mets lost a seven-game lead with seventeen games remaining.

Subway Series: New York Yankees[link]

The Mets – New York Yankees rivalry is the latest incarnation of the Subway Series, the competition between New York City's teams, the American League New York Yankees and the National League Mets. Until Interleague play started, the two teams had only met in exhibition games. Since the inception of interleague play the two teams have met every regular season since 1997, and since 1999 they have met six times each season, playing two three-game series, one in each team's ballpark. They have made the postseason in the same year three times: 1999, 2000, and 2006, and faced off in the 2000 World Series.

Current roster[link]

Minor league affiliations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: New York Mets

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• New York Mets Team Index
• Ultimate Mets Database

Links to related articles v t e New York Mets retired numbers #14 Gil Hodges #37 Casey Stengel #41 Tom Seaver SHEA William Shea v t e New York Mets Hall of Fame Tommie Agee Gary Carter Frank Cashen Dwight Gooden Jerry Grote Bud Harrelson Keith Hernandez Gil Hodges Davey Johnson Cleon Jones Ralph Kiner Jerry Koosman Ed Kranepool Tug McGraw Bob Murphy Johnny Murphy Lindsey Nelson Joan Whitney Payson Tom Seaver William Shea Rusty Staub Casey Stengel Darryl Strawberry George Weiss Mookie Wilson v t e New York Mets 1969 World Series Champions 1 Bobby Pfeil 3 Bud Harrelson 4 Ron Swoboda 5 Ed Charles 6 Al Weis 7 Ed Kranepool 9 J. C. Martin 10 Duffy Dyer 11 Wayne Garrett 12 Ken Boswell 15 Jerry Grote 17 Rod Gaspar 20 Tommie Agee 21 Cleon Jones 22 Donn Clendenon (World Series MVP) 24 Art Shamsky 27 Don Cardwell 30 Nolan Ryan 31 Jack DiLauro 34 Cal Koonce 36 Jerry Koosman 39 Gary Gentry 41 Tom Seaver 42 Ron Taylor 43 Jim McAndrew 45 Tug McGraw Manager 14 Gil Hodges Coaches 8 Yogi Berra 52 Joe Pignatano 54 Rube Walker 53 Eddie Yost Regular season National League Championship Series v t e New York Mets 1986 World Series Champions 1 Mookie Wilson 2 Kevin Elster 3 Rafael Santana 4 Lenny Dykstra 6 Wally Backman 7 Kevin Mitchell 8 Gary Carter 11 Tim Teufel 12 Ron Darling 13 Lee Mazzilli 16 Dwight Gooden 17 Keith Hernandez 18 Darryl Strawberry 19 Bob Ojeda 20 Howard Johnson 22 Ray Knight (World Series MVP) 25 Danny Heep 33 Barry Lyons 38 Rick Aguilera 39 Doug Sisk 40 Randy Niemann 42 Roger McDowell 47 Jesse Orosco 49 Ed Hearn 50 Sid Fernandez Manager 5 Davey Johnson Coaches 23 Bud Harrelson 28 Bill Robinson 30 Mel Stottlemyre 51 Vern Hoscheit 52 Greg Pavlick Regular season National League Championship Series v t e New York Mets franchise Triple-A Double-A Class A Rookie Buffalo Bisons Binghamton Mets St. Lucie Mets Savannah Sand Gnats Brooklyn Cyclones Kingsport Mets DSL Mets 1 DSL Mets 2 v t e Major League Baseball (2012) AL East Central West Baltimore Orioles Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians Oakland Athletics New York Yankees Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Kansas City Royals Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Minnesota Twins NL East Central West Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Arizona Diamondbacks Miami Marlins Cincinnati Reds Colorado Rockies New York Mets Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Philadelphia Phillies Milwaukee Brewers San Diego Padres Washington Nationals Pittsburgh Pirates San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals Postseason: World Series (Champions) · ALCS · NLCS · ALDS · NLDS All-Star Game · World Baseball Classic · Records · MLB awards · Hall of Fame · MLB Draft (First year player · Rule 5) · MLBPA · TV contracts · Highest paid players · MLB logo · Seasons · Minor leagues · History (NL · AL) · Tie-breakers · Rivalries · Interleague play · Schedule · Stadiums · Civil Rights Game · Spring training · Cheerleading Timeline of Major League Baseball · Dead-ball era · Live-ball era · Relocation of the 1950s–1960s · Expansion (1993 · 1998) Commissioner: Bud Selig · League Presidents (NL · AL) v t e Grapefruit League Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Miami Marlins Minnesota Twins New York Mets New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals v t e Sport teams based in the New York metropolitan area Baseball MLB: New York Mets • New York Yankees - NYPL: Brooklyn Cyclones • Staten Island Yankees • Hudson Valley Renegades - ALPB: Long Island Ducks • Somerset Patriots - CanAm: New Jersey Jackals • Newark Bears Basketball NBA: Brooklyn Nets • New York Knicks - WNBA: New York Liberty - ACPBL: Garden State Rebels • Hudson Valley Kingz • Manhattan Pride • New York Lions • North Jersey Pros - ABA: Hampton Charters • Jersey Express • Staten Island Vipers - EBA: Brooklyn Pride • Hudson Valley Hype • New York Wizards - Entertainment Teams: Harlem Globetrotters • Harlem Wizards Football NFL: New York Giants • New York Jets - WFA: New York Sharks - WSFL: New Jersey Titans Hockey NHL: New Jersey Devils • New York Islanders • New York Rangers - FHL: Brooklyn Aviators • New Jersey Outlaws Lacrosse MLL: Long Island Lizards Rugby football AMNRL: Connecticut Wildcats • New York Knights - RSL: New York Athletic Club RFC • Old Blue Soccer MLS: New York Red Bulls - WPS: Sky Blue FC - PDL: Brooklyn Knights • Jersey Express S.C. • Long Island Rough Riders • New Jersey Rangers • New York Cosmos • Westchester Flames - NPSL: Long Island Academy • Morris County Colonials - W-League: Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues • Long Island Rough Riders • New York Magic Tennis WTT: New York Sportimes Roller Derby WFTDA: Gotham Girls Roller Derby • Jersey Shore Roller Girls • Long Island Roller Rebels • Suburbia Roller Derby - MRDA: New York Shock Exchange College athletics (NCAA Div. 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Johan Santana
Santana pitching for the Mets
New York Mets – No. 57
Starting pitcher
Born: (1979-03-13) March 13, 1979 (age 33) Tovar, Mérida State, Venezuela
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 3, 2000 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through June 1, 2012)
Win-Loss	136-71
Earned run average	3.10
Strikeouts	1,937
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2000–2007) New York Mets (2008–present)
Career highlights and awards
Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team (2009) 2× Cy Young Award winner (2004, 2006) 2× TSN Pitcher of the Year (2004, 2006) 2× Player's Choice Outstanding Pitcher (2004, 2006) 4× All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) 2× Warren Spahn Award winner (2004, 2006) 2× Luis Aparicio Award winner (2004, 2006) Gold Glove Award (2007) Fielding Bible Award (2007) Pitching Triple Crown (2006) Led AL in wins (2006) Led AL in ERA (2004, 2006) Led NL in ERA (2008) Led AL in strikeouts (2004, 2005, 2006) Led AL in winning percentage in 2003 Pitched the first New York Mets no-hitter, against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 1, 2012.

Johan Alexander Santana Araque (English pronunciation: /ˈjoʊhɑːn sænˈtænə/; born March 13, 1979) is a Venezuelan pitcher for New York Mets. He is a native of Tovar, a town in Merida state, Venezuela.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Minnesota Twins, he was considered one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a pitch repertoire that included an 88–94 mph fastball, along with a circle changeup, generally considered his best pitch, and a slider. His warm-up music is the song "Smooth" by Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana. Santana was rated by Forbes as the 5th highest paid baseball player in MLB, the highest out of all pitchers. On June 1st, 2012, Santana threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets' history.

Professional career[link]

Santana was discovered in 1994 by Chance Partin, brother-in-law of Cheech Marin, who was a scout working for the Houston Astros at the time. He signed Santana and sent him to his academy in Guacara in January 1995. Santana did not like it and almost left, but Reiner convinced him to stay. While originally a center fielder, Santana was converted to a pitcher at the academy due to his arm speed. In 1999 he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year.

Minnesota Twins[link]

After the 1999 major league season, he was left unprotected by the Houston Astros and eligible in the Rule 5 draft. The Minnesota Twins had the first pick that year, the Florida Marlins 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.^[1][2]

Santana made his Major League debut with the Twins on April 3, 2000, coming from the bullpen vs. Tampa Bay. He made his first MLB start on April 7, 2000, at Kansas City and recorded his first Major League win in a relief appearance at Houston 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.^[3]

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 also named Johan Santana changed his name to Ervin Santana in 2003 and has also achieved major league success. Santana underwent minor elbow surgery following the season.^[4]

2004 season[link]

In 2004, Santana enjoyed one of the great second halves of modern times. He became the first pitcher since 1961 to give up four or fewer hits in ten 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 in strikeouts (265), ERA (2.61), strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.46), WHIP (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, who won 21 games for the Red Sox. He easily won the AL Cy Young Award over Schilling with all 28 first-place votes.

2005 season[link]

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. In his second game, he rocked the Chicago White Sox with 11 strikeouts as the Twins won 5–2. Santana finished with an ERA of 2.87, second-lowest in the American League 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. He finished third in the Cy Young voting, finishing behind winner Bartolo Colón of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera.

2006 season[link]

Santana pitching for the Twins on June 2, 2006

Santana won the Major League Pitching Triple Crown. He completed the season leading the majors in ERA (2.77) and strikeouts (245), and tied Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang in wins (19). He is the first pitcher to win the triple crown with fewer than 20 wins, and the first to win the MLB triple crown with an ERA above 2.60.

Santana also led the American League 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 is the fifth pitcher to win the award by a unanimous vote twice, joining Roger Clemens, Pedro Martínez, and Greg Maddux; Sandy Koufax 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[link]

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

On June 19, 2007, on the team bus to a game at Shea Stadium, Bert Blyleven said he would have his head shaved if that night's starting pitcher, Johan, threw a complete-game shutout. The Twins won, 9–0, and Santana went the distance on a four-hitter. Santana shaved Blyleven's head the following day.^[5]

Santana had perhaps his best career game on August 19 against the 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.

While Santana did not have a bad season, 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 American League in WHIP, was 2nd in strikeouts with 235, and 7th in ERA. On the last game of the season, a rain delay in Detroit 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 that Johan Santana was awarded the American League Gold Glove Award for pitcher. This was the first time he was selected for this award.^[6] He was also honored with a Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding pitcher in MLB.^[7]

New York Mets[link]

2008 season[link]

Santana delivers a pitch during the Mets 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 1st, 2008.

During 2007–2008 off-season, Santana was traded from the Twins to the New York Mets, for Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey. On February 1, 2008, the Mets and Santana agreed to a six-year, $137.5 million contract.^[8] Santana was named the opening day starter, throwing 100 pitches in seven innings to earn the win against the Florida Marlins. On May 10, 2008, he earned his first win at Shea Stadium as a member of the New York Mets.

Santana releasing a pitch in May of 08.

On June 1, 2008, Santana earned his 100th career victory, going 7.2 innings and allowing just one run in a 6–1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.^[9]

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 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out 5 and also got his first RBI as a Met. He won this game, improving his record to 9–7. On August 17, 2008 Santana pitched his second complete game and his 11th win of the season, allowing only 3 hits while walking none and striking out 7 in a 3–0 Mets win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On September 23, Santana threw a career-high 125 pitches in 8 innings to beat the Chicago Cubs. On September 27, in the thick of a playoff race and on the final weekend of the season, Santana pitched a complete game 3-hit shutout 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. He underwent successful surgery on it 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, besting Jon Matlack's 205 in 1973. 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.^[10]

Santana finished in third place in the National League Cy Young award race behind Brandon Webb and winner Tim Lincecum.

2009 season[link]

On April 7, 2009, Johan Santana started the first game for the New York Mets in the 2009 season against the Cincinnati Reds. He went 5.2 innings allowing only 1 earned run, going on to win. In his second start on April 12 against the Florida Marlins Santana struck out 13 batters and surrendered 2 unearned runs over 7 innings only to lose for the first time since June 28, 2008, against the New York Yankees. 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 to remove bone chips in his left elbow. Santana finished the season at a record of 13–9 with a 3.13 ERA.^[11]

In 2009 he was named # 3 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.^[12]

2010 season[link]

In a start on May 2, 2010 against Philadelphia, Santana gave up 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings, the worst start in his MLB career. However, in the next 5 starts after that, Santana gave up only 7 earned runs, striking out 21 and improving his record to 4–2 with a 3.03 ERA. Santana hit his first major league home run off of Matt Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds on July 6, finishing the game with a complete game shutout. From July 1-July 23, Santana was 3–0 with a 0.71 ERA in five starts. Santana, who was struggling to keep his 10–9 through September 2, strained his pectoral muscle in a 65 pitch start versus Atlanta,^[13] for the second time in his career.^[14] Santana had surgery for his shoulder on September 14 . Santana ended his season with a record of 11–9 and an ERA of 2.98. This is the 3rd consecutive year that Johan had gotten injured. Reports have Santana not being able to return to the team until the second half of the 2011 season after having rotator cuff surgery.

2011 season[link]

Johan missed the 2011 season due to aftermath of the shoulder surgery. Due to this surgery, Santana did not return to the majors until the 2012 season.

2012 season[link]

Santana in his return to the Mets.

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 his anterior capsule in his left shoulder.^[15] In the opener he pitched against the Atlanta Braves, going 5 scoreless innings, while striking out five batters. On May 26, Santana pitched a complete game shut-out against the San Diego Padres, the ninth of his career. He struck out 7 over nine innings and improved to 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA over his first 10 starts.

On June 1, in only his 11th start since returning from shoulder surgery, Santana threw a no-hitter against the defending World Series Champions St. Louis Cardinals, giving the Mets organization the first no-hitter in franchise history, leaving the San Diego Padres as the only MLB organization to not have a no-hitter. Santana walked 5 batters, struck out 8, and threw 134 pitches, a new career high, and also lowered his season ERA to 2.57. His previous career high was 125, and Santana's previous season high was 108 pitches, thrown in his previous start against the Padres, which also resulted in a complete-game shutout. ^[16]

Current contract[link]

Santana currently is in a six year, $137.5 million contract with a full no-trade clause. The contract includes a $25 million 2014 club option with a $5.5 million buyout. The salary distribution is as follows: $20 million in 2009, $21 million in 2010, $22.5 million in 2011, $24 million in 2012, and $25.5 million in 2013.^[17]

Personal life[link]

Santana is the second of five children. Johan attended Liceo Jose Nucete Sardi High School, where he played center field. He and his wife, Yasmile, whom he has known since he was 9 years old, have two daughters and a son, Johan Jr. Santana actually missed the Mets' first regular season game at Citi Field due to the birth of his son. He and his family reside in Miromar Lakes, Florida.

In the off-season, Santana is an active member of his hometown community. In 2006, he started The Johan Santana Foundation to provide assistance to hospitals and bought new gloves and bats for children in surrounding areas. Also in 2006, Santana, as well as the Minnesota Twins, purchased a yellow firetruck for Tovar's fire department. Santana has held a party the past two offseasons called El Cy Youngazo (the Great Cy Young) which includes a toy drive, musical groups, and beer from Santana's sponsor, Regional.^[18] Proceeds from Johan's charity wine, Santana's Select, also support his foundation in entirety.

In the off season, Johan often practices at Florida Gulf Coast University's baseball facility.

Highlights[link]

• Sports Illustrated MLB All-Decade Team (2009)
• American League Cy Young Award winner (2004 and 2006, both unanimous selections)
• 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 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 11 career complete games
• 8 shutouts
• Top 10 Cy Young Award (7th, 2003; Winner, 2004; 3rd, 2005; Winner, 2006; 5th, 2007; 3rd 2008)
• Top 10 MVP Award (7th, 2006)
• Fanned former teammate David Ortiz for his 1,000th career strikeout (June 13, 2006).
• Set a Minnesota Twins 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 Mets no-hitter in Mets history on June 1, 2012 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Johan Santana

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal
	Venezuela portal

• List of Cy Young Award winners
• List of Triple Crown winners (pitching)
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Johan Santana at the Ultimate Mets Database