On June 1, Johan Santana made history by becoming the first player in New York Mets history to throw a no-hitter after an impressive 8-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in which the former Cy Young winner threw 134 pitches and eight strikeouts. Unfortunately, Santana’s memorable season will be cut short after the left hander has struggled over the last month and a half.
The Mets made the decision on Wednesday to shut their pitcher down for the remainder of the season after an MRI showed inflammation in his lower back. While he most likely won’t need surgery, Santana will need plenty of rest if he has any chance of returning to the team for the 2013 season–which is why New York was leaning towards this decision.
After missing the entire 2011 season, Santana got off to a decent start for the Mets during his 2012 campaign after going 6-4 record in his first 16 starts, including the no-hit performance against the Cardinals on June 1. However, New York realizes this decision was made based off the future, considering how much Santana has struggled over the last two months.
Not only has Santana lost five straight starts dating back to July 6, but he’s allowed at least six runs in each of those starts. In other words, Santana wasn’t helping the team’s pitching situation–so this was obviously a wise move on their end.
Plus, it’s safe to say New York most likely won’t be playing in the postseason once again considering where they stand in the division (20 games back in the NL East) and Wild Card standings (10 games back).
