Every day, Santana honors the father who sacrificed for him

Fatherhood is a lot like baseball. Sacrifices lead to good things.

Johan Santana said bringing his father, Jesus, to New York for Father's Day is a pittance of gratitude for the man who enabled him to be where he is today.

To support his five children in Tovar, Venezuela, Jesus commuted to an electrical plant more than an hour away in Mérida. He could not afford to commute daily, so he lived near the plant during weekdays and came home on weekends.

But Jesus made those weekends count. He watched Johan and his older brother Franklin play Little League and he gave them tips.

"The first time he went to a ballpark to see me play, I was so nervous I swung at a bad pitch," Johan said, motioning with his hand that the pitch was above his eyes.

"I didn't see him, but I heard his voice and he told me to relax and calm down. And then I hit a home run. That was a nice memory," he said with a big smile.

The weekends were all about baseball. After his sons finished their games, Jesus would play on the same field for his local team. Jesus played for several teams and kept his jerseys in a pile in the closet, from which Johan and Franklin would take two and wear them during their games. It didn't matter that the jerseys were so big on Johan that the ends hovered around his ankles.

"I always wanted to be like him," Johan said, noting that he originally was a shortstop like his dad. "He and my mom gave me an opportunity to play organized baseball."

Jesus said his favorite game of Johan's career was the matchup between Santana's Twins and the visiting White Sox on Aug. 23, 2005. Johan threw eight innings and fellow Venezuelan Freddy Garcia went nine, with Johan leading Minnesota to a 1-0 win. Through a translator, Jesus said the way they battled was "a game for all of Venezuela."

"My dad is a great competitor," Johan said of his father's appreciation of that matchup. "It wasn't easy to raise five kids and I'm proud of [him for] that. And here we are . . . I'm trying to make him proud."

Pride was almost all Jesus mentioned when asked about his son. He never played professionally, but the reward for all those years of sacrifice comes on days like Sunday, when Johan will start and Jesus can live vicariously through the boy to whom he wanted to give the world.

Asked if he'll be nervous Sunday, as he was when his father first saw him play, Johan said, "[Sunday] is a day for me to work, and after we'll celebrate Father's Day."

But Johan won't have to wait until after the game to celebrate. He'll be honoring his father the moment he takes the mound.