Minnesota Twins Ace Ervin Santana Posts Best 5-Game Start in Franchise History

Ervin Santana gave up one run in seven innings during Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Texas Rangers. In doing so, he became the first Twins pitcher to boast a sub-1.00 ERA (0.77) through his first five starts of the season since the team's 1961 move to Minnesota, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (h/t ESPN).

Previously, the best ERA by a Minnesota Twins player through his first five starts of a season was set by Jim Perry, when he notched a 1.07 ERA in 1965. Perry finished the campaign with an impressive 2.63 ERA and held a 3.15 ERA through 10 seasons with the organization.

In addition to his stellar 0.77 ERA so far, Santana has struck out 26 batters over 35.0 innings and leads the league with a 0.66 WHIP.

The Twins' ace served an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs during the 2015 campaign, but he was a reliable top-of-the-rotation starter for the Twins last season. He posted a 3.38 ERA with 149 strikeouts, but the individual success only translated to a 7-11 record thanks to the team's anemic offense and subpar fielding.

Over his 13 professional campaigns with four different teams, Santana has accumulated a 4.04 ERA and 1,764 strikeouts across 351 games (348 starts). His best season—in terms of ERA—occurred in 2013 with the Kansas City Royals, when he recorded a 3.24 ERA and sent 161 guys down via the K.

The 34-year-old's next scheduled start comes April 30 against the Royals, one of his former teams.