On February 2, 2008, the Mets sent outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey to the Minnesota Twins for two-time Cy Young award winner and three-time all star Johan Santana.

To complete the trade, the Mets signed Santana to a six-year, $137.5 million contract. Santana would go on to etch a permanent place in Mets history, though he would have an injury-plagued tenure in Queens that never fully lived up to expectations.

As a Met over just four seasons, Santana posted a 46-34 record, with an ERA of 3.18 and an ERA+ of 127. Santana struck out 607 hitters in 717 innings pitched. His best season as a Met was his first one in Flushing, 2008, when he led the National League with a 2.53 ERA. In that season, he had a bWAR of 7.2, good for fifth in the league. His ERA+ in 2008 was also an outstanding 166.

One of Santana’s most memorable moments as a Met came on September 27, 2008. The Mets were home at Shea Stadium against the Florida Marlins, one game out of a wild card spot with two to play. Santana was pitching on only three days of rest, after throwing 125 pitches on September 23 against the Cubs. Santana fired a complete game, three-hit shutout against the Marlins, and later it was revealed that he did so with a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Mets would tie the Brewers for the wild card that day, but lost the next day and missed the playoffs.

Santana had another solid season in 2009, going 13-9 with a 3.31 ERA and 130 ERA+ and would be selected to the National League’s All-Star team that year. Santana’s 2009 season ended on August 25 when he was diagnosed with bone chips in his pitching elbow, which required season-ending surgery.

Santana’s 2010 season would mirror his 2009 campaign. He pitched to a record of 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA and a 131 ERA+. His season would once again be cut short, this time on September 2, when after the game against the Braves he was found to have a torn capsule behind his left shoulder that would require major surgery.

In July of 2010, Santana showed that he could provide some thrills with his bat as well, slugging this home run against the Reds on July 6.

Santana’s shoulder surgery would cost him the entire 2011 season, and he would return to the Mets as the Opening Day starter in 2012. On June 1, 2012, Santana would forever mark his place in Mets history. In a game at Citi Field against the St. Louis Cardinals, the 8,020th game in Mets’ franchise history, Santana threw the team’s first no-hitter. A team that had been adorned with great pitching, the likes of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan (very early in his career), Dwight Gooden,  and Ron Darling had never achieved the feat until that Friday night.

Santana walked five hitters in the game, threw a career-high 134 pitches, was saved by a great catch by Mike Baxter, and actually gave up a hit (that was called foul) to, of all people, Carlos Beltran. But when the game was over, Santana had done it. He had broken a franchise drought that defied logic. As Gary Cohen famously exclaimed, “it has happened!”

Santana was never the same after that game. It did not make medical sense to have a man coming off major surgery throw 134 pitches in just his 11th start back, but for many reasons, it made baseball sense. Manager Terry Collins looked unsettled as the game went on and the pitch count grew, but he allowed Santana to have his shot at history, and Santana capitalized.

Santana, who will be 42-years-old in March, required repeat shoulder surgery in 2013, and attempted two comebacks with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays that did not materialize.

Johan Santana will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Mets fans who were taking in the game on June 1, 2012. While he never led the Mets to the postseason, he remains a fan favorite, and there are many number 57 shirts on display during games at Citi Field.