Shutout Santana Shines Supremely

He was brilliant. He was superb. He was great. Johan Santana. What more can you say? Santana mowed down the Marlins with a mix of fastballs, curveballs and misleading changeups. It was that off speed pitch that outshined any other. Clearly Santana does not doubt his own ability. He pitched a complete game shutout (2-0) on three days’ rest in a must-win situation for the New York Mets. Santana’s durability and dominance demonstrates how valuable an ace is to a baseball team. An economical pitcher as artistic as Santana is so pleasant to watch work. This performance ranks up there with the likes of Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine in their heydays. He painted the corners of the plate, struck out nine batters, and consistently and consecutively retired Marlin after Marlin. Kudos to Johan. If the Mets make the post-season, they have no one but Santana to thank. His sheer brilliance down the stretch was irreplaceable. He made today’s three hitter look as easy as blinking an eye.

Parting points: Sad to hear about the death of “Cool Hand Luke” Paul Newman at the age of 83.