It’s Official: Johan Santana to Start Opener
The Mets made official Sunday the news every fan has been waiting for — Johan Santana will be the Opening Day starter.
“This is something that I was really looking forward to, and I’m excited about it,” Santana said. “I didn’t want to get ahead of everything. We were taking one step at a time, being cautious about everything.”
Terry Collins said Santana will likely be limited to 95 pitches when he faces the Braves on Thursday at Citi Field.
This really is phenomenal news. All we’ve been hearing is that it took Chien Ming Wang, the most recent pitcher to attempt a comeback from this particular shoulder surgery, two years to get back on the mound. We all feared that would happen with Santana, but so far that is not the case.
The Mets need an effective Santana if they have any hope of contending. Failing that, if he is healthy and they can trade him and clear most of his $25 million salary from the books in 2013, that could go a long way in the rebuilding effort. Either way, Santana is the key to the 2012 season and beyond.