The Return

It's only Spring Training.  It was only 2 innings.  But this afternoon marked a huge step for the Mets and their 2012 season.  

Johan Santana returned to the mound against major league hitters since September 2, 2010 when he faced the St. Louis Cardinals.  Santana threw 29 pitches over those two innings, allowing one hit and one walk.  His velocity was in the high 80s although he did top out at 90mph once.  Santana also threw his signature change up twice as well as two sliders.

After the performance, Santana says that he feels good and was very encouraged by his outing this afternoon.  The real factor will come over the next two days as him and the team will see how his shoulder reacts.  All signs are pointing to him making his next start through the rotation.

This is huge news for the Mets; huge, huge news.  For so many reasons, the franchise needs positive vibes coming from camp and this afternoon provided the biggest vibe so far.  Many people should not expect to ever see the old Santana again, given his age and the multiple surgeries over the years, but if the Mets can get 22-25 starts from Santana, maybe 140 innings, then they accomplished something this season.