Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of Johan Santana’s magical no-hitter at Citi Field, the first no-no in franchise history.
It is still one of the most memorable nights the franchise has ever enjoyed, but in the years that have followed, the fond memory of Santana’s entrance into baseball immortality is couple with the somber reality of the lefty’s simultaneous entrance into the sport’s cautionary tales.
Santana, who didn’t pitch the entire 2011 season due to a shoulder injury, and by June of 2012, the two-time Cy Young winner looked back to his normal self, pitching to a 2.75 ERA through 10 starts and 59 innings heading into his June 1 start against the Cardinals.
Pitching around five walks, Santana’s pitch count climbed to 134 before finishing off the no-hitter, and in his remaining 10 starts on the year, he pitched to a dreadful 8.27 ERA, missed the final month and a half of the regular season with an ankle injury, and never pitched again in the majors.
Manager Terry Collins said it was the worst night of his career, trying to balance history with health. But Santana says there has been no second guessing, even a decade later.
“I don't regret anything,” Santana told SNY. “As soon as I walk out of those two lines, I don’t regret anything, because I gave everything I had to help the team win.
“Every time I took the mound, I tried to do my best. It’s just how I was. People I played with and the teams I played for, they know exactly how I played the game. I gave everything I had.”
The no-hitter seemed to take everything Santana had, as he re-injured his shoulder during spring training in 2013, tore his Achilles while attempting a comeback the following year with the Orioles, and another comeback effort in 2015 didn’t pan out.
But Santana only looks back on his no-hitter with fondness, rather than as a reminder of what his career could have been.
“My career unfortunately didn’t go the way a lot of people wanted it to, or the way I wanted it to, but I don’t regret anything,” Santana said. “Everything I did, I did to help my team win.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)