AL Pitcher Hits Grand Slam

It's a good thing the Twins traded away two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. Don't look at what the Twins received. Look at the sorry state of the Mets. Although players acknowledged their own inability to win, manager Willie Randolph was fired after the team posted a 34-35 record.

I do not want to write about the Mets in general. My focus is Johan Santana. Although he leads the Mets with 7 wins, 2.93 ERA, and 95 strikeouts through June 23, there is one major blemish on his stat sheet--14 home runs given up. The long ball had been an issue during his years in Minnesota (24 in 2004, 22 in 2005, 24 in 2006, and 33 in 2007). When you throw the ball hard, the ball flies farther with good contact. The most notable home run of 2008 came in his most recent outing against Seattle. Playing an interleague game at a National League park meant the American League pitcher was in the batting order. Mariner pitching phenom Felix Hernandez came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit his first home run since Little League. See the recap and box score. Hernandez just closed his eyes and hoped to make contact, yet he hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher since 1971. That is why the Twins are better off without Santana.