Johan Santana never wanted to pitch. A left-handed kid from Venezuela who dreamed of playing shortstop, he was discovered as an outfielder by the Astros and nearly quit baseball when coaches moved him to the mound. This deep dive traces his improbable rise from an unprotected Rule 5 draft pick to the most feared left-hander of his era.

We break down the circle changeup that broke baseball math, the front-office arbitrage that landed him in Minnesota, his back-to-back unanimous Cy Young Awards, and the devastating physical cost of the Mets' first-ever no-hitter that effectively ended his career.

• How the Twins acquired him for $50,000 through a clever Rule 5 draft-day swap
• The minor-league drill that forced him to throw a changeup to every batter
• His historic 2004 second half and 2006 pitching Triple Crown
• T ...