Mets get their second no-hitter in club history
This was the 17th combined no-hitter in MLB history, the first for the Mets since 2012
It took 159 pitches among five pitchers. They had nine full counts, induced 37 fouls balls, and allowed six walks.
But somehow, the Mets navigated around those choppy waters and recorded the second no-hitter in club history, defeating the Phillies by a score of 3-0 on a cool night at Citi Field on Friday night.
Tylor Megill started this history making night for the Mets, and while his stuff was as tantalizing as it’s been all year, he had to battle a red hot Phillies offense who didn’t go down without a fight. He needed 88 pitches to get through the first five innings of this game, 17 of which were fouled off. He struggled with control inside the strike zone, struggled to put the Phillies hitters away, and had to work one deep count after the next.
But none of the 10 balls the Phillies put in play against Megill went for a hit.
Megill allowed three walks over those five innings before handing the ball off to Drew Smith, who dealt with a similar battle against the Phillies hitters - 12 of the 36 pitches he threw were fouled off and he had to navigate around a walk over 1.1 innings.
But none of the pitches Smith threw were put in play.
Smith gave way to Joely Rodriguez, who was tasked with facing Kyle Schwarber in the seventh inning. He walked Schwarber but induced a 6-4-3 double play from Alec Bohm to end the seventh. Rodriguez was afforded the eighth inning so he could matchup against the left-handed hitting Didi Gregorious, and he induced a groundout before issuing a walk to Johan Camargo.
Even so, only two pitches thrown for Rodriguez were put in play, and none went for a hit.
Mets manager Buck Showalter handed the ball to Seth Lugo, who two and a half weeks ago struggled in a meltdown eighth inning against the Phillies in Philadelphia. And, Lugo had to face Jean Segura who was 7-for-14 lifetime against him heading into the at-bat.
But that didn’t matter on this night - Lugo induced a weak popup to Segura, and then got a weak pop up from Rhys Hoskins to end the eighth inning.
Into the ninth, the Mets had thrown 146 pitches, and of the 14 balls in play to that point, none had gone for a hit.
Enter Edwin Díaz who inherited a three run lead, but it was no ordinary save opportunity. It was an opportunity to close the deal on the second no-hitter in club history.
With the 32,416 fans on their feet and roaring with every pitch Díaz threw, he seemed to only become more energized as the inning rolled on, each pitch becoming more and more electric. In the end, Díaz fed off the moment, striking out the side to make Mets history.
This night wouldn’t have been possible without Brandon Nimmo. Not because he reached base two more times out of the leadoff spot, but with his diving catch in center field to end the third inning.
At the time, it merely seemed like nothing more than a great catch to end an inning and help mitigate what was an inefficient night for Megill. Little did anyone know that catch would’ve been the difference between a historical night, and who knows what if that ball isn’t caught and gets down.
It was the 315th no-hitter in major league history, and the 17th combined no-hitter in major league history and the tenth in the wild card era, the first since the Brewers threw a combined no-hitter last September.
It was the very definition of a team win, and a team no-hitter. Everyone deserves a piece of this pie.
Megill became only the second pitcher in club history to throw at least five no-hit innings and not finish a game, the last being Sid Fernandez on May 15, 1987 when he left after five no-hit innings with an injured knee.
The combined no-hitter seemed like the most unlikely outcome to this game considered how much Megill and Smith in particular had to labor through this game, as well as how well the Phillies worked the five Mets pitchers in this game.
But that’s what makes baseball such a beautiful game. Even when the logic and the science dictate a certain outcome should take place, you simply never know what will happen in any given baseball game.
Sometimes, the stars are aligned. Even for the Mets.
