June 1, 2012 will forever be remembered in New York Mets lore as the day the franchise was finally treated to their first no-hitter some 50 seasons after bringing baseball to the borough of Queens. And though it took them 8,020 games to finally get one, the Mets organization and their fans wouldn't have it any other way. After witnessing Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver flirt with a no-hitter on numerous occasions during his 12-year tenure with the ball club only to see him accomplish the feat in his second season with the Cincinnati Reds, the Mets can finally say they have their own to celebrate.
Coming into Spring Training, one of the more frequently asked questions in Mets camp was whether or not starting pitcher Johan Santana would be able to pitch like the Johan Santana of old, much less return to a big league mound. A 4-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana was sidelined the entire 2011 season while recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent in September of 2010. Off to a stellar start to begin his 2012 campaign, what the Venezuelan born pitcher would achieve on a brisk Friday night in Flushing, New York against the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals was something nobody saw coming, not to mention something Mets fans never thought they'd experience. After tossing a complete-game shutout just six days earlier, Santana would give Mets fans something they've been waiting 51 seasons for -- a no-hitter.
Prior to Friday's game, Mets skipper Terry Collins had a pitch limit of 110 in mind for his 33-year old recovering hurler, but given the circumstances, Johan returning to the mound despite exceeding that number with a chance to log the first no-no in Mets franchise history was just as important as it was dangerous. Already with 122 pitches thrown heading into the 9th inning, it would take him a career-high 134 pitches before getting David Freese to strikeout swinging for the final out of the game to seal the 8-0 victory and the Mets first ever no-hitter. Though Santana baffled eight Cardinal hitters by way of the strikeout against five walks, he would need a bit of help from his defense. Like almost every no-hitter there's at least one jaw-dropping catch or play made that keeps the no-no in tact. Johan's gem was no different as an amazing catch by left fielder Mike Baxter would preserve Santana's no-hit bid. On pitch no. 101 in the seventh, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina would send an 0-0 offering deep into left-field and into the direction of Baxter who on his horse made a spectacular catch on the warning track just before crashing into the wall shoulder and head first, causing him to be helped off the field as he was unable to finish the game with a left shoulder contusion.
Unfortunately there's gonna be those who think the no-hitter deserves an asterisk and is tainted by the controversial call on a hit towards the third base line that was called foul by third-base umpire Adrian Johnson. Upon further review it appeared that the ball struck off the bat of former Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran kicked up some chalk just behind third base, causing Cardinals skipper Mike Matheney to come out from the visiting dugout to argue the call to no avail. Beltran would ground out sharply to third on the very next pitch, helping Santana move one batter closer to making history. Of the 27,089 fans in attendance at Citi Field, many will be telling their grand kids one day that they were there to witness Johan make history without even daring to mention the controversy that almost robbed Mets fans of finally being able to say, "we've got one."
How fitting that the Mets would get their first no-hitter in franchise history on the year in which they're celebrating 50 seasons of Mets baseball. What makes Santana's no-hitter that much more remarkable is that the Mets haven't been a franchise starving of talented pitching. In fact pitching is probably what the franchise has been best remembered for. With such pitching greats as Nolan Ryan, Doc Gooden, Tom Seaver, Ron Darling, Warren Spahan, Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez among others, it's amazing the Mets have gone this long without ever logging a no-hitter. Santana's gem leaves the San Diego Padres as the only franchise without a no-hitter. Is it too soon for Mets fans to be asking when they'll be treated to their first perfect game?
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