After missing all of last season following shoulder surgery Johan Santana was back on the mound today for the first time since September of 2010 and held the Braves scoreless for five innings in a no-decision.
Santana unraveled a bit in his final inning, walking No. 8 hitter Tyler Pastornicky and pitcher Tommy Hanson, but escaped the jam by getting leadoff man Michael Bourn to hit one back to the mound.
His fastball topped out in the high-80s, but that wasn’t uncommon for Santana even before the surgery and he racked up five strikeouts in five innings, including Dan Uggla twice.
Santana threw 54 of 80 pitches for strikes while allowing just two hits and two walks. Not quite vintage Santana from his Cy Young-winning days, but close enough that the Mets have to be awfully pleased with how he looked after a 570-day layoff.