Week 8: Ervin Santana

Ervin Santana became the clear front runner in the race to become my MLBoyfriend early in the week. On Tuesday, May 23, Minnesota's ace pitcher threw a great game against the Baltimore.

That night, Santana pitched nine full innings which in and of itself is a rare feat these days. He struck out six batters, gave up just two hits and two walks which resulted in an excellent 0.44 WHIP. His ERA was even more impressive ERA of 0.00 in a complete shut out of the Orioles. He obviously earned both a win and quality start for the game.

While this game was the Santana's best of 2017 so far, it certainly wasn't a fluke. He has had a great to the season. Over the course of 70.0 innings pitched, he has had an impressive ERA of 1.80 (currently the best in MLB) and a WHIP of just 0.83--notching up 8 quality starts, 7 wins and just 2 losses. He is the first pitcher to throw two shut outs in 2017. As of today, Santana's Wins Above Replacement stat is 2.7. While I don't fully understand WAR, I believe this means the he is single-handedly responsible for the Twins two game lead in the American League Central standings.

While I appreciated the long hair Ervin sported in previous seasons...

...Perhaps he is the Anti-Samson. Did his haircut give him more pitching powers?

Congratulations, Ervin Santana! Your performance on the mound has earned you the title of my MLBoyfriend of the week.