In baseball, a no-hitter (also known as a no-hit game and colloquially as a no-no) is a game in which a team was not able to record a single hit. Major League Baseball officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter". This is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff: only 276 have been thrown in Major League Baseball history since 1875, an average of about two per year. In most cases in MLB, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game. The last no-hitter was thrown on June 1, 2012, by the New York Mets, the first no-hitter in franchise history.

Most of the time, a no-hitter is also a shutout. However, as it is possible to reach base without a hit (most commonly via a walk, error, or hit batsman), a pitcher can throw a no-hitter and still give up runs, and even lose the game, although this is extremely uncommon. In 25 of the 276 recorded no-hitters in MLB history, one or more runs were given up, most recently by Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a 3-1 win against Cleveland Indians on July 27, 2011. On two occasions, a team has thrown a nine-inning no-hitter and still lost the game. On a further four occasions, a team has thrown a no-hitter for eight innings in a losing effort, but those four games are not officially recognized as no-hitters by Major League Baseball because the outing lasted fewer than nine innings.

It is theoretically possible for opposing pitchers to throw no-hitters in the same game, although this has never happened in the majors. A game in which a team allows no runners to reach base at all is a perfect game, as well as being a shutout victory. A perfect game is by definition also a no-hitter. 21 perfect games have been recorded in MLB history.

Major League Baseball no-hitters[link]

Definition[link]

A no-hitter is defined by Major League Baseball as follows: "An official no-hit game occurs when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings."^[1] This definition was specified by MLB's Committee for Statistical Accuracy in 1991, causing previously recognized no-hitters of fewer than nine innings or where the first hit had been allowed in extra innings to be stricken from the official record books. Games lost by the visiting team in 8½ innings but without allowing any hits do not qualify as no-hitters, as the visiting team has only pitched eight innings.^[2][3]

Frequency[link]

Major League Baseball has officially recognized 276 no-hitters between 1876 and 2012; only 21 of those were perfect games. Two no-hitters have been thrown on the same day twice: Ted Breitenstein and Jim Hughes on April 22, 1898; and Dave Stewart and Fernando Valenzuela on June 29, 1990.

Eight no-hitters were thrown by major league pitchers in the 1884 season. In the modern era (since 1901), seven no-hitters were thrown in both 1990 and 1991.

The longest period between any two no-hitters in the modern era is &100000000000000030000003 years, &1000000000000004400000044 days between Bobby Burke on August 8, 1931, and Paul "Daffy" Dean on September 21, 1934. There was a drought of 3 years, 11 months, without a no-hitter after the first National League no-hitter on July 15, 1876, pitched by George Bradley. The most recent year that saw zero no-hitters is 2005.

The greatest number of games played between any two no-hitters is 6,364, between Randy Johnson's perfect game on May 18, 2004, for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Anibal Sánchez's no-hitter on September 6, 2006, for the Florida Marlins. The previous record was a 4,015-game streak without a no-hitter from September 30, 1984, to September 19, 1986.

Individual[link]

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

The pitcher who holds the record for the most no-hitters is Nolan Ryan, who threw seven in his long career. His first two came exactly two months apart, while he was with the California Angels: the first on May 15, 1973, and the second on July 15. He had two more with the Angels on September 28, 1974, and June 1, 1975. Ryan's fifth no-hitter with the Houston Astros on September 26, 1981, broke Sandy Koufax's previous record. His sixth and seventh no-hitters came with the Texas Rangers on June 1, 1990, and May 1, 1991. When he tossed number seven at age 44, he became the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter.

Only Ryan, Sandy Koufax (four), Cy Young (three), Bob Feller (three), and Larry Corcoran (three) have pitched more than two no-hitters.^[4] Corcoran was the first pitcher to throw a second no-hitter in a career (in 1882), as well as the first to throw a third (in 1884).

Thirty men in all have thrown more than one no-hitter. Randy Johnson has the longest gap between no-hitters: he threw a no-hitter as a member of the Seattle Mariners on June 2, 1990, and a perfect game as an Arizona Diamondback on May 18, 2004. The pitcher who holds the record for the shortest time between no-hitters is Johnny Vander Meer, the only pitcher in history to throw no-hitters in consecutive starts, while playing for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.^[5] Allie Reynolds (in 1951), Virgil Trucks (in 1952), and Ryan (in 1973) are the only other major leaguers to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season. Jim Maloney (in 1965) technically threw two no-hitters in the 1965 season, but his first one ended after he allowed a home run in the top of the 11th inning. According to the rules interpretation of the time, this was considered a no-hitter. Later that season, Maloney threw a more traditional 9-inning no-hitter. Roy Halladay threw two no-hitters in 2010: a perfect game during the regular season and a no-hitter in the 2010 National League Division Series. He is the only major leaguer to have thrown no-hitters in regular season and postseason play.

Two pitchers missing their non-pitching hand have thrown no-hitters; Hugh Daily, of the Cleveland Blues, defeated the Philadelphia Quakers 1–0 on September 13, 1883, and Jim Abbott, of the New York Yankees, defeated the Cleveland Indians 4–0 on September 4, 1993. Daily lost his left hand in a gun accident as a child, and Abbott was born without a right hand.

Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers is the most recent pitcher to throw his second no-hitter, the 30th to do so. His second, on May 7, 2011, was the seventh no-hitter in Detroit Tigers history.

The record for most no-hitters caught by a catcher is four, by Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. He caught no-hitters for Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester.^[6] Varitek also caught a rain-shortened, five-inning unofficial no-hitter for Devern Hansack on October 1, 2006.^[7] Before MLB redefined "no-hitter," Ray Schalk had long held the record of catching four no-hitters, but his first nine-inning no-hitter had ended with a hit in the tenth inning.^[7][8]

Five pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in both the American League and the National League: Cy Young, Ryan, Jim Bunning, Nomo, and Randy Johnson. Only four catchers have caught a no-hitter in each league: Gus Triandos, Jeff Torborg, Darrell Porter and Ron Hassey. Triandos caught Hoyt Wilhelm's 1958 no-hitter and Jim Bunning's perfect game, Torborg caught Koufax's perfect game and Ryan's first no-hitter, Porter caught Jim Colborn's 1977 no-hitter and Bob Forsch's second no-hitter in 1983, and Hassey caught Len Barker's and Dennis Martinez's perfect games.

Team[link]

No team has thrown no-hitters in consecutive games, although it has happened once on consecutive days: On May 5, 1917, Ernie Koob of the St. Louis Browns no-hit the Chicago White Sox, and teammate Bob Groom repeated the feat in the second game of a doubleheader the following day.

On two occasions, there have been back-to-back no-hitters thrown by each team in a series. On September 17, 1968, Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Cardinals' Ray Washburn no-hit the Giants the following day. On April 30, 1969, Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds no-hit the Houston Astros, and the Astros' Don Wilson no-hit the Reds the following day.

The Tampa Bay Rays are the only MLB team to fail to get a hit in three games in a span of 12 months or fewer. No-hit by Arizona's Edwin Jackson on June 25, 2010, the Rays were also the victims of two perfect games: the first by White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle on July 23, 2009, the second by Oakland's Dallas Braden on May 9, 2010.

Combined no-hitters[link]

The vast majority of no-hit games are finished by the starting pitcher, but nine MLB no-hitters have been thrown by a combination of the starting and relief pitchers. The first such combined no-hitter occurred on June 23, 1917, when Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox relieved starter Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for arguing with the umpire after walking the first batter of the game. The runner was subsequently caught stealing and Shore retired the next 26 batters without allowing any baserunners. This game was long considered a perfect game for Shore, since he recorded 27 outs in succession; current rules classify it only as a combined no-hitter. Another major league combined no-hitter did not occur until April 30, 1967, when Stu Miller recorded the final out in relief of Steve Barber, a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

The only combined extra inning no-hitter to date occurred on July 12, 1997. Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Francisco Cordova (9 innings) and Ricardo Rincon (1 inning) combined to no-hit the Houston Astros, 3-0. Victory was secured with a three-run walk-off home run by pinch hitter Mark Smith in the bottom of the tenth inning.

On June 11, 2003, the Houston Astros set a record with six pitchers involved in a one combined no-hitter. On that day, Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner combined to hold the New York Yankees hitless. Oswalt was removed after one inning due to injury. Munro pitched the most innings, 2⅔. He also allowed five of the six baserunners, giving up three walks, hitting a batter and seeing another reach on an error by third baseman Geoff Blum. The only other baserunner was allowed by Dotel, who threw a third-strike wild pitch to Alfonso Soriano with one out in the eighth; Dotel went on to record the 45th four-strikeout inning in regular-season play.^[9] Lidge, who retired all six hitters he faced over the sixth and seventh innings, earned the victory.

Only one pitcher, Mike Witt, has thrown a no-hitter as a starter and contributed to a combined no-hitter as a reliever. On September 30, 1984, Witt threw a 1-0 perfect game for the California Angels against the Texas Rangers. On April 11, 1990, pitching the eighth and ninth innings in relief of Mark Langston, Witt earned a save in another 1-0 no-hit victory for the Angels over the Seattle Mariners.

Kent Mercker and Vida Blue are the only pitchers to start both a complete game no-hitter and a combined no-hitter. While with the Atlanta Braves in 1991, Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Peña no-hit the San Diego Padres in the National League's first combined no-hitter. Mercker threw a complete game no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994. Vida Blue no-hit the Minnesota Twins on September 21, 1970, while pitching for the Oakland Athletics. He combined with Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad, and Rollie Fingers to no-hit the California Angels on September 28, 1975. Both Mercker and Blue were All-Stars in the seasons of their combined no-hitters, and Blue also won the Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award during his career.

Earliest, latest, title-clinching, and postseason no-hitters[link]

Hideo Nomo threw the earliest no-hitter based on calendar date: April 4, 2001, the second game of the season for the Boston Red Sox. The Cleveland Indians' Bob Feller left the Chicago White Sox hitless in the 1940 season opener on April 16, the only official Opening Day no-hitter.

No-hitters have twice been thrown on the final day of the season: the aforementioned Blue-Abbott-Lindblad-Fingers effort for Oakland in 1975, as well as Witt's perfect game in 1984. Hansack's five inning effort took place on the final day of the 2006 season.

The Houston Astros' Mike Scott no-hit the San Francisco Giants on September 25, 1986, a victory that also clinched the National League West title for the Astros; this is the only such occurrence in Major League history to date. In the first game of a double header on September 28, 1951, Allie Reynolds of the New York Yankees pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox which clinched a tie for the American League pennant (the pennant was clinched outright in the double header's second game).

There have been two postseason no-hitters in MLB history, one in each league. For the AL, on October 8, 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees threw a perfect game in Game 5 of that year's World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The feat had nearly been accomplished nine years earlier by the Yankees' Bill Bevens, who came within one out of a no-hitter (though not a perfect game) against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series, only to lose the game on a pinch-hit double by Cookie Lavagetto. There have been other one-hitters in the World Series, with the lone hit coming earlier in the game than in Bevens' feat. On October 6, 2010, Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies, in the first postseason appearance of his career, threw the second no-hitter in postseason history, and first in the NL, in Game 1 of the Phillies' NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds.

Rookie no-hitters[link]

Twenty-one MLB rookies have pitched a no-hitter since 1901. Three pitchers have thrown a no-hitter in their first major league starts; two others have done it in their second major league starts.^[10]

Bumpus Jones of the Cincinnati Reds threw a no hitter on October 15, 1892 in his first major league game. Jones pitched only eight games in the big leagues, finishing with a career win/loss record of 2-4 and a career earned run average of 7.99.

Ted Breitenstein pitched a no-hitter in his first Major League start on October 4, 1891, however, it was not his first Major League game.^[11] He later threw a second no-hitter on April 22, 1898.

On May 6, 1953, Bobo Holloman pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in his first major league start (also not his first major league game). This game would prove to be one of only three major league wins that Holloman achieved, against seven losses, all in 1953. Bill Veeck, then-owner of the Browns, in his autobiography described the 27 outs of Holloman's no-hitter as consisting of hard-hit ground balls, screaming line drives, and deep fly balls. At the other end of the spectrum, there are nine 300-game winners—Grover Cleveland Alexander, Kid Nichols, Lefty Grove, Early Wynn, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens and Tom Glavine—who failed to pitch a no-hitter.

On August 11, 1991, Wilson Alvarez of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter in his second career major league start. During Alvarez's first career start, he had allowed three runs on a pair of home runs and did not retire a single batter. Unlike Jones and Holloman, Alvarez went on to win 102 games over a 16-year career.

Clay Buchholz pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox in his second major league start on September 1, 2007 at Fenway Park. The game ended in a 10-0 victory for the Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles.

Nine-inning no-hitters in a losing effort[link]

Unlike a perfect game, in which no batters reach base, in regular no-hitters batters can reach base in other ways, such as a walk, an error, or a hit batsman, thus it is possible for the team pitching the no-hitter to lose. On April 23, 1964, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s became the only pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter in nine innings when he was beaten 1-0 by Cincinnati. The winning run was scored by Pete Rose in the top of the ninth inning via an error, groundout, and another error.^[12]

On April 30, 1967, Steve Barber and Stu Miller of the Baltimore Orioles pitched a combined no-hitter, but lost 2-1 to the Detroit Tigers.^[13]

On July 1, 1990, Andy Hawkins of the Yankees pitched an eight-inning no-hitter (the Yankees were the away team) against the Chicago White Sox and lost the game 4-0 after an eighth inning which saw three errors.^[14] The four runs that the White Sox scored are the most by any team in a game in which they had no hits. ^[15] Because Hawkins only threw eight innings, this game is not recognized as an official no-hitter by Major League Baseball.

Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo of the Angels also combined for eight innings of no-hit baseball in a 1-0 road loss to the Dodgers June 28, 2008, where Matt Kemp reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on another error, and scored on a sacrifice fly. However, since the Angels only pitched eight innings, this game is not recognized as an official no-hitter.

[edit] Shortened no-hitters

A game that cannot continue due to weather or darkness may be considered a completed official game, as long as at least five innings have been completed. Until 1991, any such game in which a pitcher held the opposing team without hits was considered an official no-hitter; however under the current rule, a no-hitter must last for at least nine innings to count. As the rule was applied retroactively, thirty-six games in which a no-hitter was interrupted by weather or darkness, with lengths ranging from 5 to 8 innings, are no longer considered no-hitters.

If the home team leads after the top of the ninth, they do not bat in the bottom of the ninth, thus the visiting team only pitches 8 innings. Since it is possible to score runs without getting hits, a visiting team can complete a full game without allowing a hit but not be credited with an official no-hitter. This has happened four times in MLB history: Silver King (1890), Andy Hawkins (1990), and Matt Young (1992) pitched complete games without allowing a hit, but pitched only 8 innings as the losing pitcher from the visiting team, and thus are not credited with a no-hitter.^[16][17] On June 28, 2008, Jered Weaver and José Arredondo of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim threw 8 no-hit innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, but lost the game 1-0 and are not credited with a no-hitter. This is the first near no-hitter of this kind in which more than one pitcher was involved.

No-hitters lost in extra innings[link]

A game that is a no-hitter through nine innings may be lost in extra innings. Under current rules, such a game is not considered an official no-hitter because the pitcher did not keep the opponent hitless for the entire course of the game.

On May 2, 1917, a game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds reached the end of nine innings in a hitless scoreless tie,^[18] the only time in baseball history that neither team has had a hit in regulation. Both Hippo Vaughn of the Cubs and Fred Toney of the Reds continued pitching into the tenth inning. Vaughn lost his no-hitter in the top of the tenth, as the Reds got two hits and scored the winning run. Toney retired the side in the bottom of the tenth and recorded a ten-inning no-hitter. This game was long considered a "double no-hitter," but Vaughn is no longer credited with a no-hitter under the current rules.

Of the thirteen potential no-hitters that have been lost in extra innings, two were perfect games until the inning when the first hit was surrendered. On May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a remarkable twelve perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves before losing the perfect game on an error and then the no-hitter and the game in the thirteenth inning. On June 3, 1995, Pedro Martínez of the Montreal Expos pitched nine perfect innings against the San Diego Padres before giving up a hit in the tenth and exiting the game, which the Expos then won 1-0.^[19]

Teams without no-hitters[link]

Only one existing franchise in Major League Baseball has not had a pitcher toss a no-hitter: the San Diego Padres, who have gone 43 years without a no-hitter since they began play in 1969. Their closest bid came against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 18, 1972; Steve Arlin came within one out of a no-hitter before a Denny Doyle single broke up the bid. Again on July 9, 2011, five Padres pitchers combined for 8 2/3 innings of no-hit pitching against the Los Angeles Dodgers before a Juan Uribe double broke up the bid, followed by a Dioner Navarro single which won the game, which had been scoreless up to that point.

The New York Mets, who began play in 1962, went without a no-hitter until Johan Santana pitched one on the night of June 1, 2012 playing the St. Louis Cardinals at home at Citi Field, in their 51st season. The Mets won 8-0. Until then, they had held the record as the oldest team without a no-hitter in its history. Before Santana's no hitter, the franchise went 8,019 regular season games, and 74 postseason games without a no-hitter. Mets' pitchers, however, have thrown 36 one-hitters.

Though the Washington Nationals franchise has four no-hitters in its history, including a perfect game by Dennis Martinez, all of them took place during the team's existence as the Montreal Expos.

Six current NL teams—the Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Cubs and Reds—all pitched their first no-hitters before the advent of the American League in 1901. The last of the original National League teams to get their first no-hitter was the St. Louis Cardinals, when Jesse Haines pitched one on July 17, 1924. Of the original American League teams, the last team to get their first no-hitter was the New York Yankees, when George Mogridge pitched one on April 24, 1917.

Avoiding no-hitters[link]

All modern-era MLB teams have experienced at least one no-hitter pitched against them. The record for the longest period of time without being no-hit is held by the Chicago Cubs and is still ongoing: the Cubs have succeeded in getting at least one hit in every game since Sandy Koufax's perfect game on September 9, 1965, a period of &1000000000000004600000046 years, &10000000000000265000000265 days (7420 games: Including Postseason) as of May 31st, 2012. The second-longest streak without having an official no-hitter pitched against them is held by the New York Yankees, who had a gap of &1000000000000004400000044 years, &10000000000000263000000263 days between nine-inning no-hitters from September 21, 1958 to June 10, 2003. However, during this time, the Yankees team hitting streak ended in a rain-shortened official game on July 12, 1990,^[20] after &1000000000000003100000031 years, &10000000000000294000000294 days. The St. Louis Cardinals have the second-longest team hitting streak in MLB history: May 12, 1919 to May 14, 1960, a period of &1000000000000004100000041 years, &100000000000000030000003 days.

Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates from the middle of the 1909 season until the middle of the 1970 season, is the only long-term home field where a no-hitter was never thrown during its existence. There are several recently-built fields where no-hitters have not yet been thrown. Two parks in existence for a decade or more have only seen one no-hitter to date—the Orioles' current home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and Coors Field, the notoriously hitter-friendly home of the Colorado Rockies. In both parks, the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter is Hideo Nomo.

International competition[link]

In the 2006 World Baseball Classic Shairon Martis pitched a no hitter for the Netherlands against Panama, however it was only seven innings due to the mercy rule.

Superstitions[link]

One of the most common baseball superstitions is that it is bad luck to mention a no-hitter in progress, especially to the pitcher and in particular by their teammates (who sometimes even go so far as to not even be near the pitcher).^[21] Some sportscasters observe this taboo while others have no reservations about mentioning no-hitters before completion. When Sandy Koufax pitched his no-hitter against the Mets in 1962, one of their 120 losses that season, Mets' coach Solly Hemus, apparently trying to jinx Koufax, kept heckling him through the game about pitching a no-hitter, according to a post-game interview Koufax gave after pitching his third no-hitter in 1964. Mickey Mantle, in an interview for Ken Burns' Baseball documentary series, relates that Don Larsen, famed for his 1956 World Series perfect game, tried to talk about his no-hitter throughout the contest but much to his chagrin his Yankee teammates avoided his conversation and maintained the superstition.

When Jim Bunning was pitching his perfect game, he deliberately violated this superstition, talking to his teammates about the perfect game's progress in order to dispel the tension in the dugout.^[22]

See also[link]

Baseball portal

• Perfect game
• Baseball
• Pitching

References[link]

External links[link]

• Chronological list of no-hitters at Retrosheet
• American League no-hitters
• National League no-hitters
• No-hitters alphabetically by umpire
• List at MLB.com. Does not include defunct leagues.

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

Roy Halladay
Halladay pitching for the Phillies in 2011
Philadelphia Phillies – No. 34
Starting pitcher
Born: (1977-05-14) May 14, 1977 (age 35) Denver, Colorado
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 20, 1998 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Career statistics (through May 22, 2012)
Win–loss record	192-96 (.667)
Earned run average	3.24
Strikeouts	1,990
Complete games	66
Shutouts	20
WHIP	1.17
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (1998–2009) Philadelphia Phillies (2010–present)
Career highlights and awards
8× All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) 2× Cy Young Award winner (2003, 2010) Pitched a perfect game on May 29, 2010 against the Florida Marlins. Pitched a postseason no-hitter on October 6, 2010 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III^[1] (born May 14, 1977), nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. His nickname, coined by the late Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek,^[2] is a reference to Wild West gunslinger "Doc" Holliday.

He was the Blue Jays' first draft selection in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, the 17th pick overall, and played for the team from 1998 through 2009, after which he was traded to Philadelphia. Halladay is known for his ability to pitch deep into games effectively, and he is currently the active major league leader in complete games with 66, including 20 shutouts.^[3]

On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in MLB history, beating the Florida Marlins by a score of 1–0.^[4] On October 6, 2010, in his first post-season start, Halladay threw the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history (Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series being the first) against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS.^[5][6] It was his second no-hitter of the year (following the May 29 perfect game), making Halladay the fifth pitcher in major league history (and the first since Nolan Ryan in 1973) to throw multiple no-hitters in the same season. Halladay has won two Cy Young Awards, in 2003 and 2010.