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Monday, June 15, 2020

Did the No-Hitter screw up Johan Santana's arm?


 
From the NY POST

Following the no-hitter, I seem to remember Johan Santana hurting his knee covering first base. Did that injury lead to all his other issues or was it throwing too many pitches to get that no-hitter? — Brian Clark

Santana was covering first base and twisted his right ankle, which was stepped on by the Cubs’ Reed Johnson. That injury occurred on July 6, 2012 — almost five weeks after Santana threw the first no-hitter in Mets history. Santana, who at that point had performed at a respectable level since the no-hitter, continued to pitch through the ankle injury, but finally was placed on the injured list following a third straight rough start on July 21. He returned in August for two additional underwhelming performances and was then shut down for the season(and never threw another pitch in the major leagues after undergoing a second shoulder surgery the following spring).

We’ll never really know whether it was the 134 pitches Santana threw in the no-hitter against the Cardinals, the ankle injury that maybe altered his mechanics or a confluence of events that caused the left-hander to tear the anterior capsule in his left shoulder for a second time. Maybe a 33-year-old pitcher coming off major shoulder surgery would have broken down even without the no-hitter or ankle injury.

Will the Mets sign Christian Hackenberg? — @NickKramerev 

Read more here.

My cousin over at metspolice.com and I have been having this discussion since that season. I keep saying it wasn't Santana's arm from throwing the no-hitter that made his career go sideways. I contend it was this instance when he got stepped on and Santana tried to pitch after that and he altered his delivery. Once that happened his arm from the wear and tear of the season, Santana ended up hurting his arm. I might be 100 percent wrong but that's how I feel.


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