Johan Santana Quotations

Most of the time it's going to take the whole team to do what you want to do, to see this team succeed and go to the playoffs, ... Yeah, pitching is a big part of it, but we haven't been able to put everything together.

One thing is for sure. We battle until the last out and that's good to see.

One thing is for sure ? we battled until the last out. Tonight was a perfect example of how good of a team we are and how much better we are from last year.

I didn't want to go on the DL. I want to keep pitching and competing. They decided it's better for me to take some time off and that's what we're going to do.

I'm all right. It's been like this for a few weeks.

I felt pretty good today. I was throwing the fastball in and out of the plate and I was able to throw my change-up. It was a nice day.

I felt pretty good today, ... I had everything working. All you can hope for is that you give your team a chance to win and that is what we did today.

I felt pretty good. I didn't feel anything at all, ... I was able to throw all my pitches, and the slider, which had hurt the most.

I feel good right now. I don't know about the stats. The numbers are going to be there at the end of the year. I'm not worried about that.

I feel good. I don't go by stats or anything. The numbers are going to be there. I don't really care about that. I know I've been doing my job, but I also know that we've been struggling as a team to win games.

I feel pretty good about it. We've added some different players. If everybody can get it together, I'll be very excited.

I can tell you every game is going to count this season. You can not just wait until the end to do something. You have to start strong in the beginning and finish strong, too.

Today, I think we showed what Latin baseball is all about. That's what we do.

To finally get a chance to see him after all the talk about him being lights out is great. And I think it's true. I think he has a very good chance to be with this ballclub.

Hopefully they consider that. What's going to happen? I don't know.

It didn't happen for me. I didn't get those wins,

I threw some good pitches and they got some good swings.

I think we showed everybody what Latin baseball is all about. That's the way we do it. For either side, we showed the passion of the game.

I wasn't surprised at all. That's the way we do it. In our countries, fans go beyond the game. It's about passion. It's about loving the game. When it comes down to that, in the Latin countries, we do a pretty good job.

When it comes to that in Latin countries, I think we do a pretty good job. Nothing against anybody. I think American fans are great, too. It's just that it's a different feeling, especially when you represent your country.

Those guys did a good job. I felt like I was throwing the ball good.

We did this together. We, as a team, made history tonight.

We're not done. We're just going to continue playing and hoping to put some wins together again.

To me, he showed a lot of improvement from last year,

What can you do? I felt like I threw some good pitches and didn't get the calls.

What's going to happen in spring training, we don't know. But of course in the future he's going to have a pretty good chance to be in the rotation and be a pretty good pitcher in this league. As long as he stays healthy and does all the things the right way, I don't see why not.

We showed what Latin baseball was all about. We showed the passion of the game.

Even though they pulled me out, I still felt strong. Those guys are pretty good. They make you work and go deep into the count.

Even though they pulled me out, I still felt strong.

Even if we don't have a chance to win our division, we're still the champions from last year, ... They know they have to play hard to take it. We'll never give up. I, personally, will never give up. I'll do my best until the season is over.

At this point in the season, compared to a couple of years ago, I feel much better.

Everything was working, ... I was trying to stay aggressive.

There's nothing I can do about it, really. I think everybody knows what it takes to win games. Hopefully, they know what they have to do when they go out there. I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to judge anybody. Hopefully, we get together as a team and start playing the game the right way.

They are a hot team and I didn't get the job done,

The season is not over yet. Those guys have to go out there and play the game like they were at the beginning of the season.

Sometimes, people talk about performances and everything, ... I've been doing the same thing I've been doing. It hasn't worked out as we wanted as a team. For you to win a game, a lot of things have to go right. It's not just about one guy, one pitcher, one hitter. It's about the team and that's it. There's nothing you can do about it personally.

You might see a pitchers' duel. You might see guys going after each other. You never know.

This is going to be a great feeling. I started working out in January to get ready for this. We have an all-star lineup, and so does the Dominican Republic. To be the best, you have to beat the best.

At least we're competing. I never give up, ... What's going to happen, I don't know. At least we're making this more interesting. We'll see what happens at the end.

It's the first time I've had the opportunity to represent my country. It is (an All-Star lineup) You'll see the best in the world on both teams. That's something that we're looking forward to, not just me but everybody. In order for you to be the best you have to beat the best. It's the same way for them. We've got a great team too. It's going to be a great challenge. It's going to be interesting and fun to watch.

It's good just to see that we're still working for something, ... This is not over yet. It's good for fans, for my teammates and myself to see we still have a chance to make something special.

It's up to the professionals and the baseball writers to decide who's going to win it, ... I feel like I did my job, and personally, I'm pleased with everything that happened. Unfortunately, we didn't go to the playoffs -- that's what we were looking for.

It's been incredible. It seems like he's put that aside and went out there and showed you the type of pitcher he is and that he likes to win.

It's difficult, but we're making it look like it's impossible. And that's not the way it should be.

There's times when one play makes the whole difference, one calls makes the whole difference. And tonight it was that call.

That means you're doing something good and the fans are enjoying what they're watching, ... So it's always good to make people happy I don't think there can be any better feeling than that.

That means you're doing something good, and the fans are enjoying what they're watching, ... So it's always good to make people happy ... I don't think there can be any better feeling than that.

I mean, coming into this season I was just hoping to come back, stay healthy and help the team.

I'm not executing my pitches. I'm not commanding my fastball, and I get behind in the count. When I try to throw strikes, I'm getting hurt. That's not the way I pitch.

I know who Mark Buehrle is. I knew it would be tough. We got ahead and put up some runs and from there I was just trying to protect the lead.

I'm not a tourist. ... I want to play the game and pitch.

I knew, coming into this game, that we needed to fight. Tonight, we did a great job from top to bottom.

If you look around at everything that has happened to me, to the whole starting pitching staff, if we have had won all those little games, then the whole pitching staff should be Cy Youngs. It didn't happen for me to get those wins, but that doesn't mean I'm done working.

In our country, our fans go beyond the game. It's not just about being a fan. There's passion. There's pride.

In our countries, fans go beyond the game. It's about passion.

In the Caribbean, it's more than about just being fans. It's about passion.

In order for you to win a game, a lot of things have to go right,

I just hope it's good for him and he'll help us.

If he's not, he's close. He's been doing it for so many years. He can make contact on anything. He's always hacking, it doesn't matter the pitch.

Am I frustrated about it? No, because I'm always positive about everything that I do. I'm doing my best in order to win a game. It didn't happen, but we're still working on it.

That no-hitter stuff was a long time ago; I don't think that has anything to do with it. I'm just going through a tough time.

In the future, I want to be consistent from Day 1. We're still making adjustments. I still believe that I can be better.

In order for you to win a game, a lot of things have to go right. Your team has to win. Your team has to perform. When you talk about striking out people or ERA, that's personal stuff and where you show people what kind of pitcher you are.

I'm having fun and I'm not even trying to do much. Everything is coming together.

I know what to do when they give me the ball. I know what to do to give this team a chance to win.

I just wanted to be like my dad, Jesus. He was a good shortstop.

I don't try for strikeouts, but batters just swing and miss. I'd exchange strikeouts for more innings. As a starter, my job is to go deep into the game. When you get strikeouts, you throw a lot of pitches and sometimes you come out early.

As a kid, I loved to play centerfield. I loved to make diving catches.

I don't feel my best right now, but at the same time, I'm not trying to find any excuses or anything.

I knew that the Mets had never had a no-hitter. I never had one. This is very special. I knew this means a lot to New York.

It's good to be compared with Randy Johnson, and it's wonderful to be compared to all the best pitchers in the game.

I used to be hyper, throw crazy and not think about what I wanted to do with each pitch. Now I have a better understanding of what it is to be a major league pitcher.

My changeup looks like a fastball, but one goes straight and the other goes away from the righthanded hitter. Sometimes it cuts by itself, and I don't know where it's going.

We're proud of Venezuela and Venezuelan baseball. People in America don't realize it, but we've got 25, 30 million people here, and so many of us love baseball. This is a great place to look for talent.

When you hear from other players and they're telling you you're the best pitcher in baseball, that makes you feel really good.

To see all the fans getting into it, that's pretty special.

I just go out there and do what I do and try and hit my spots.

I have to drink a lot of fluids, try not to dehydrate, and keep stretching.

Dreams can come true, but you have to go for it.

It's a great feeling for me just to put my uniform on and be part of my team.

Being able to help, being able to go out there every five games, is definitely something I was waiting for.

I don't talk. I just let what I do talk for myself.