Flushing, NY- Now Johan Santana has some company in Mets history as five pitchers combined to throw the second no-hitter in franchise history Friday night at Citi Field.
This one, though, compared to the one Santana threw in 2012 was different. Santana’s gem was a solo effort despite a Carlos Carlos Beltran swing that hit the left field chalk line and appeared to be a foul ball.
No controversy Friday night and two Latinos came out of the Mets bullpen to seal the deal that started with Tylor Megill and his five hitless innings. Drew Smith, Joley Rodriguez, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Diaz out of the bullpen finished the no-hitter with 4.0 scoreless innings.
And the Mets continued to close a memorable first month of the season with a 3-0 shutout win over the Phillies and at a MLB best 15-6.
So when Edwin Diaz struck out Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, and J.T. Realmuto, proficient hitters in the Phillies lineup and all swinging in the ninth, the Mets celebrated a historic moment.
The final pitching line of the historic night:
-Tyler MeGill (5.0 innings,3 walks, 5 strikeouts) 88 pitches
-Drew Smith (1.1 innings, walk, 4 strikeouts, career high) 36 pitches
-Joely Rodriguez (1.0 inning, 2 walks) 17 pitches
-Seth Lugo (0.2 Inning, fourth straight scoreless outing) 5 pitches
-Edwin Diaz (1.0 Inning, 3 strikeouts) 13 pitches
This was the 17th time a team has thrown a combined no-hitter and 10th in the Wild Card era. This was not a no-no in Flushing but a no-no-no-no-no. Santana, a latino Sports AL MVP recipient on that June evening, threw 134 pitches and will always be remembered as the solo no-hitter and first in Mets history.
Image Credit: Robert Rizzo
Megill, also became the third Met to toss five no- hit innings along with Sid Fernandez and Santana.
Manager Buck Showalter managed his first no-hitter since that memorable Jim Abbot outing with the Yankees against Cleveland in 1993. But he said the win was more important because this was the Mets and Phillies who are division rivals and these games in April are important. The Phillies also lead the National League in runs scored and snapped a four game winning streak.
”What a job the rest of the guys did against a really good hitting lineup too,” Showalter said. “It’s fun to watch.
“You start paying attention about the sixth, seventh inning,” said catcher James McCann. “You start hearing the crowd getting into it, realizing there’s a chance for something special.”
Diaz pumped his fist and shouted his enthusiasm of the moment as teammates surrounded him after the blazing fastball struck out Realmuto to secure his name in Mets history.
Image Credit: Major League Baseball
“I just followed him (McCann),” he said. “Making sure the bullpen was looking good.” Diaz also earned his 4th save and easily retired the top three in the Phillies lineup.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer with Latinosports.com. Comment: Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
