Viva Carlos Santana!
Santana reached on a fielder's choice ground ball to second base in his first MLB at bat. Batting third in manager Manny Acta's lineup and catching, he went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. He impacted the game early, gunning down Washington leadoff hitter Nyjer Morgan attempting to steal second base.
"I felt good," Santana told MLB.com. "Unfortunately, it didn't pan out the way I wanted offensively, but all that matters is we won the ballgame."
Santana became the third Loons player to play Major League Baseball, joining Dodgers left-handed starter Clayton Kershaw and Nationals lefty reliever Victor Garate (now with Triple-A Syracuse).
"Any time you get a chance to bring up the top prospect in your organization, it's a huge lift," Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro told MLB.com. "It's a great day for the fans, for the Indians and for Carlos Santana. He's as ready as any guy we've ever brought up."
After winning consecutive league player-of-the-year awards from the California League (in 2008) and the Eastern League (2009) and being named the Indians' No. 1 prospect in the 2009 and 2010 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, it seemed to be only a matter of time before Santana received a promotion to the big leagues.
This season for Triple-A Columbus, the Dominican native batted .316 with 13 home runs, 14 doubles and 51 RBIs in 57 International League games.
Santana, 24, played for the Loons in 2007, his first full minor league season. That year he hit .223 with seven homers and 36 RBIs and adjusted to his first season catching after spending his first two pro seasons as an outfielder and third baseman. His biggest highlight that season came on July 31 when he hit a walkoff home run in the 10th inning to defeat Clinton.
In late 2008, the Dodgers traded Santana and right-handed pitcher Jon Meloan to Cleveland for third baseman Casey Blake.
The Indians demoted catcher Lou Marson Friday to make room on the roster for Santana. Assuming he starts Sunday, Santana will face highly-regarded Nationals prospect Steven Strasburg, set to make his second big league start against the Indians at Progressive Field. That game will be televised nationally on TBS.
The Great Lakes Loons are a fourth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.