Cards From My Personal Collection: Johan Santana 2003 Topps Baseball Card
Johan Santana is one of my favorite pitchers ever! I don't know why I just loved how he pitched and how dominant he was on the mound. When I was a kid I pitched a fair amount myself. One time I pitched myself into a bases loaded jam, and I remembered watching a segment on ESPN about how Johan hid his hand behind his glove as he wound up to throw and his hand wouldn't really be revealed until the last moment. I tried to mimic Johan since I had to try something, and it worked, I struck out the side! This guy is a legend to me.
Johan played twelve seasons from 2000-2012. He missed 2011 due to injury. He was a super dominant pitcher year in and year out from 2002-2010. He always had ridiculously good records throughout his career. In 2004 he was 20-6 and in 2006 he was 19-6.
The guy was just awesome to watch. Here's a list of his career accomplishments:
- 2x Cy Young Winner
- 4x All-Star
- 1x Gold Glove Winner
- 3x ERA Leader
- 3x AL Strikeout Leader
- Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer
- Threw a No-Hitter in 2012
Some of Johan Santana's final stats include a 139-78 record, a 3.2 ERA and 1,988 strikeouts. What a beast!