‘OK, I feel old now': Quizzing Carlos Santana about his 15 years in the big leagues

New York Times

5 days ago

CLEVELAND — Carlos Santana, about 10 months shy of his 40th birthday, is the elder statesman on the Guardians' roster.
Santana said his teammates often call him 'Grandpa.' José Ramírez said Santana particularly shows his age with how he waddles from one place to the next.
On Wednesday, Santana will square off against Clayton Kershaw in the club's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Once upon a time, nearly 20 years ago, Santana was Kershaw's catcher for the Class A Great Lakes Loons. (To further the point about how long ago this was, Kenley Jansen was also a catcher in the Dodgers' system at the time. Now, he's inching toward 500 career saves.)
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Santana and Kershaw caught up in spring training and reminisced about the nascent days of their professional careers. Santana is 0-for-7 against Kershaw, and he stressed his desire to take the southpaw deep.
Santana reached 15 years of major-league service time last week, so The Athletic quizzed him on an array of career milestones, starting with his big-league debut against the Washington Nationals on June 11, 2010, when a 23-36 club called up its top prospect, a catcher with a booming bat and a good eye at the plate.
Do you remember the first pitcher you faced?
Ummm, nah. I remember the second because I hit a home run. (J.D.) Martin. He played here (in Cleveland). But the first? I don't know.
Luis Atilano.
Atilano? Ah, I don't remember that. I know the second game, Martin, he played with me in the minor leagues.
That was Atilano's only year in the majors, as he posted a 5.15 ERA in 16 starts for the Nationals. As for Martin, Cleveland drafted him with the 35th overall pick in 2001. That year, the club owned four of the first 43 picks, but only Martin ever reached the majors — and he didn't do so with Cleveland. Martin made 24 starts for Washington in 2009-10.
Who pitched the third game of that series?
(Stephen) Strasburg. I remember that series. I'll never forget it.
There was Strasburg Mania that summer, and the frenzy reached new heights when he struck out 14 Pirates batters in his debut. Five days later, he pitched at Progressive Field. Santana batted third and recorded a single, a walk and a flyout against the fellow rookie. (Trevor Crowe hit leadoff, by the way.)
You grounded into a fielder's choice in your first at-bat and eventually scored. Do you remember who hit you home?
No, it's (been) a long time, 15 years.
Wait, what happened to never forgetting that series?
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You scored on an Austin Kearns home run.
Ohhh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Big ears.
Kearns tagged Atilano for a pair of home runs that night.
Who pitched that day for Cleveland?
I was catching. Who was it? Jeanmar Gómez? No. (Justin) Masterson?
Jake Westbrook.
Ohhh, Westbrook. Yeah, the veteran guy.
Westbrook was traded seven weeks later to the Cardinals in a three-team deal that landed Cleveland a little-known pitching prospect named Corey Kluber.
What about the second game? Whose complete game did you catch?
(Shrugs)
Fausto Carmona. He was an All-Star that year.
Ohhh, Fausto Carmona. Roberto Hernández. Happy for him. He's one of the guys who (impacted) me. We had a very good relationship.
Hernández never recaptured the form from his first full season as a big-league starter in 2007, when he logged a 3.06 ERA, finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting and vanquished the Yankees in the playoffs amid swarms of midges. He did, however, receive his only All-Star Game nod in 2010, a year in which he finished with a 3.77 ERA across 210 innings.
Who else played catcher for the Indians in 2010?
Mike Redmond. He's the bench coach with Colorado.
He was actually relieved of his duties earlier this month, but that's correct. Redmond's 13th and final big-league season came with Cleveland. He caught 22 games in 2010.
Chris Gimenez, too.
I saw him the other day. He told me, 'You look good, man! Keep going. Five more years.' I said, 'Hell no!'
That year, Lou Marson caught 81 games, Santana 40, Gimenez 19, Redmond 18 and Luke Carlin made four starts behind the plate in the final week and a half of the season.
Against which pitcher have you hit the most home runs?
(Justin) Verlander?
That's right. How many?
I don't know. Nine?
Bingo.
Somebody told me that when I played in Seattle (in 2022, when Verlander was with the Houston Astros).
Overall, Santana has a .226/.320/.607 slash line in 97 plate appearances against Verlander. The two battled often during Santana's first of three stints with Cleveland, and while Verlander was the ace of Detroit's rotation.
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Do you take pride in a future first-ballot Hall of Famer being your most frequent victim?
Yeah, I think it's something personal. When I was younger, I (hit) my first grand slam (against the Tigers). When I came (to Detroit six weeks later), he threw behind me. So in my mind, every at-bat I take (against him) is personal. He threw behind me for hitting a grand slam at home. So that's why I think I've hit a lot of home runs against him.
Do you remember who you tagged for that grand slam?
Joaquin Benoit, against Detroit.
On April 29, 2011, Santana smacked a walk-off slam that scored Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera and Adam Everett.
Where did you hit your only inside-the-park home run?
Here (in Detroit).
Austin Hedges walked over to a nearby locker.
Santana: 'Hey, Hedgey, can you believe that I hit an inside-the-park home run?'
Hedges: 'You? No chance.'
Santana: 'No chance? Yes.'
Hedges: 'When? Your rookie year, 35 years ago? Did all the outfielders die?'
Santana: 'I think it was a line drive and the outfielder (slipped).'
Hedges: 'Did you do it like (Tyler) Naquin, slide in (to home plate and pose)?'
You have one five-hit game to your name.
I don't remember that.
Against Tampa. Three of the hits came off David Price.
Oh really? What year?
April 7, 2013.
That's a long time ago. I don't know. It's crazy. One day after I retire, I want to check all of my stories and show my kids.
Santana finished with a homer, two doubles and two singles in a 13-0 win. Masterson tossed seven scoreless innings.
OK, let's wrap with this: Who else was involved in your trade to Cleveland in 2008?
July 26, 2008. (Jon) Meloan. And Casey Blake. I cried a lot.
That's right. Santana and Meloan, who had debuted for the Dodgers the year prior, came to Cleveland for Blake, who spent five and a half seasons with the Indians.
OK, I feel old now.
(Top photo of Carlos Santana congratulating Jim Thome after he hit a home run on Sept. 16, 2011: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)