The Twins' Johan Santana had 17 strikeouts in 8 innings last night giving him a chance to tie the record of 20 set by Roger Clemens and later tied by Kerry Wood.

He had also allowed only 2 base hits (both to Sammy Sosa) and no walks during his 8 innings.

Yet he was not allowed to finish the game. Joe Nathan came in to get his 27th save of the season as the Twins won the game against the Texas Rangers 1 to 0.

Call me old fashioned but it just seems insane to me to take out a pitcher having that kind of game. It's a great example of why most starting pitching records are very safe indeed.

Santana is now 13-9 with a 2.88 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 175 innings for the season.

Labels: Johan Santana