Mets' all-time no-hitter history
Kennedi Landry
@kennlandryThe Mets waited 50 years -- 8,019 games -- for their first no-hitter, and when it finally came when Johan Santana went the distance in 2012, it left the Padres as the lone remaining MLB club without a no-no. 1,428 games later, they threw their second no-hitter against NL East rival Phillies.
Here¡¯s a look back at those two gems, as well as a few of the other close calls in Mets history:
April 29th, 2022: Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodr¨ªguez, Seth Lugo, Edwin D¨ªaz
Mets 3, Phillies 0
Tylor Megill and the Mets pitching staff made history by achieving the second no-hitter in the history of the New York Mets. Five pitchers toed the rubber for the Mets on the day they threw their first combined no-hitter versus their division rival Phillies, in a game with more twists and turns than a labyrinth.
Navigating around six allowed walks, the Mets pitching staff achieved history after Edwin D¨ªaz emphatically struck out the heart of the Phillies order in the ninth inning, sending three All-Stars in Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, and J.T. Realmuto and the rest of the Phillies lineup back to their clubhouse empty-handed in terms of hits.
There have been only two combined no-hitters that involved more pitchers, each with six: the Astros¡¯ no-no against the Yankees on June 11, 2003, and the Mariners¡¯ no-hitter against the Dodgers on June 8, 2012 ¨C a week after Santana threw the first no-hitter in Mets history.
June 1, 2012: Johan Santana
Mets 8, Cardinals 0
A 33-year-old, two-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana was coming off shoulder surgery from the previous season. Admittedly, he did not have his best stuff on this particular night, but the Cardinals were overly aggressive at the plate, often swinging -- and missing -- early in counts on Santana¡¯s low-velocity fastballs.
He finished the game with eight strikeouts and five walks, and in front of a raucous crowd at Citi Field. Like many no-hitters, Santana also got help from his defense and was aided by a little bit of luck. Outfielder Mike Baxter made a crashing catch into the wall in the seventh inning to preserve the no-hit bid. Even a hit by former-Met Carlos Beltr¨¢n that replay showed bounced off the foul line was ruled foul. It likely would've been overturned under current MLB challenge protocols, though those weren¡¯t in place yet.
There were long-term effects, though. Santana went on to aggravate his shoulder and only made 10 more Major League starts following his 134-pitch no-no. Then Mets manager Terry Collins, who told reporters prior to the game that Santana wouldn¡¯t throw more than 115 pitches, had mixed feelings about leaving him in for so long.
¡°I¡¯m very excited for him, but if in five days his arm is bothering him, I¡¯m not going to feel very good,¡± Collins said after the game. ¡°You just don¡¯t jeopardize the whole organization, this season, for one inning. So we¡¯ll wait five days and see how it is. I just couldn¡¯t take him out.¡±
"A lot of people blame the no-hitter on being the end of my career, but I don't look at it that way," Santana said, "because your career can end up in one pitch in the beginning of your career or 10 years later or 20 years later."
The scoreboard flashed "NO-HAN" after Santana delivered his final pitch of the game -- a changeup to David Freese -- for a strikeout to secure the victory.
Close calls
June 13 and 18, 2012: R.A. Dickey
Mets 9, Rays 1
Mets 5, Orioles 0
Dickey was riding a seven-game win streak when the Mets headed to Tampa Bay to face the Rays. It was there that Dickey pitched the first of two consecutive starts in which he would one-hit the opposing team. After handily defeating the Rays with a masterfully controlled knuckleball, Dickey returned to Citi Field and pitched a one-hit shutout against the Orioles. Dickey joined a club of only eight pitchers to throw back-to-back one-hitters. He also became the first since Toronto¡¯s Dave Stieb did so in September 1988.
The Mets tried to appeal Dickey¡¯s one-hitter against the Rays, claiming that a two-out infield single in the first inning should have been scored as an error, but the ruling was not overturned.
May 23, 2004: Tom Glavine
Mets 4, Rockies 0
In his 17th Major League season, Glavine came the closest he ever got to a no-hitter. He held a perfect-game bid until walking a batter in the seventh inning and remained hitless in the eighth.
Glavine later admitted getting ¡°caught up in the no-hitter,¡± according to The New York Times, and he subsequently tried to avoid contact instead of continuing to attack hitters as he normally would have. He threw a changeup on a 1-0 count that Kit Pellow hit off the right-field wall to end the Hall of Famer's bid at history. But Glavine went on to complete the one-hit shutout, striking out eight and walking one.
Oct. 1, 1982: Terry Leach
Mets 1, Phillies 0 (10 innings)
This marked the club¡¯s first one-hitter since Tom Seaver¡¯s in 1977. Both starters -- Leach and John Denny -- carried one-hitters into the 10th, when the Phillies replaced Denny with Porfirio Altamirano. The Mets quickly scored off Altamirano, and Leach, who had fluctuated between the Minors and Majors that season, earned the win. Leach¡¯s only hit allowed was a triple in the fifth by Luis Aguayo.
July 4, 1972: Tom Seaver?
Mets 2, Padres 0
Seaver never threw a no-hitter during his 10-year career with the Mets -- his first and only one came with the Reds in 1978 -- but he did have five one-hitters with New York.
Two of those were broken up in the ninth inning, including in this a 2-0 win over San Diego. A one-out single broke Leron Lee¡¯s bat as well as the no-hit bid. Seaver had 11 strikeouts and did not allow a ball to reach the outfield until that single from Lee.
Seaver said after, per the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, ¡°As soon as he hit it, I knew it was a hit. At least I had the satisfaction of having him break his bat.¡±
July 9, 1969: Tom Seaver
Mets 4, Cubs 0
Seaver first took a no-hit bid into the ninth in 1969, and he was actually only two outs away from also completing a perfect game. Seaver was dealing from the start, striking out five of the Cubs¡¯ first six batters. He faced the minimum though eight innings.
With one out in the ninth, Jim Qualls -- making his ninth start of the season for the Cubs -- shot a single up the middle to break up the perfect game. Seaver would retire the final two batters for a shutout victory.