Edwin Diaz faced the heart of the Phillies’ order in the ninth inning and struck out the side, preserving a 3-0 lead and giving the Mets their second no-hitter in franchise history. Johan Santana threw 134 pitches in the club’s first no-no. This one saw five pitchers combine to throw 159 pitches.
The Phillies came in having scored 32 runs in their previous four games. But those game occurred in the mile high air of Denver. The Phillies had to come back to normal conditions and face a solid Mets’ pitching staff, too. Mets pitchers were great. But you can’t ignore the Coors Field hangover the Phillies’ hitters were facing.
There was only one tough play in the game, one where Brandon Nimmo made a diving catch.
Aaron Nola had good stuff but the Mets were able to take the lead when Jeff McNeil delivered a two-run single. Their third run came on a homer by Pete Alonso. The Mets had a chance to pad their lead in the eighth inning when they had two runners in scoring position with only one out. But they weren’t able to push any more runs across.
During the game, Ron Darling said that you have moments along the way in a special season. And already the Mets have had the five-run comeback against the Cardinals in the ninth inning and now a combo no-hitter against a potent Phillies lineup.
The first no-hitter was 50 years in the making. The second only took about 10 years. Perhaps the third comes on Sunday when Max Scherzer takes the mound.
Wow, just wow. What impressed me the most is how this team shook off that 10-5 loss to the Cardinals and came to play! Give Buck credit for what he’s been doing in truly making these players perform as professionals.
Just a big big smile on my face tonight. Once a team starts believing it really is their year…things have a way of reinforcing that belief. I think we re going to look back at week from now and be absolutely gobsmacked at how well the homestand has gone. Look out NL east. We mean business.
Gut Reaction: a No Hitter !!! Who would have that before this game.
Megill couldn’t located but like a veteran pitcher he gave his team 5 good innings . But he isn’t a veteran, and he pitched 5 scoreless inning, in fact 5 no hit innings with the help of Nimmo’s fine catch.
Smith was next with his four outs, all of them strikeouts.
Rodriguez contributed 4 outs with a double play to his ledger.
Lugo achieved the 2 outs in 5 pitches.
Diaz was dominant. The heart of the Phillies order was demolished with 3 strikeouts. Very impressive.
Gave McCann credit for calling this game and adjusting for five different pitchers.
McNeil , who is 5th in BA, delivered the clutch hit.
Alonso, who is 2nd in RBI’S, delivered the insurance run with a HR.
It was a team effort.
I missed the entire game with work, without updates! But, was it a good game? LOL!
I was concerned when Joely Rodriguez came into an 0-0 game. I was relieved when he did well. Then it occurred to me that he had been decent recently, so I looked up his season stats and was surprised to see that he had not given up an ER in his last 5 appearances and only 1 run in his last seven. He’s brought his ERA down from 15.43 to 5.87. The early return brought jeers to the Mets for making that trade. I wonder if now we will start to hear cheers?
FYI: Castro has a 2.45 ERA, 2 ER, 7.1 IP, 9g , 8/9 g are scoreless
Rodriguez has a 5.87 ERA, 5 ER 7.2 IP, 9 g, 6/9 g are scoreless
Also Castro has pitched in more tight games than Rodriguez.
Castro is the better pitcher. I hope Rodriguez continues to pitch well . I’m rooting for him.
I agree that Castro is the better pitcher. My point simply was that Rodriguez may not be a disaster. The season is still young, so I think we should hold off lamenting the trade. Having a lefty in the pen was a desideratum, so that’s a plus.
Megill continues to deliver solid performances under difficult conditions. Several times now he has pitched after a loss, and a bad performance might have triggered a slide, add he has held firm. I love the kid… such a relaxed demeanor. This night his stuff was not as razor sharp as several of his performances, but he pushed through more on heart. Heavy fastball early got him through.
I’m loving the full team effort that this team is putting forth. Every guy is part of every game and Buck is quietly overseeing it all. Yes, Cano is on his way out. Buck is even handling that situation with grace. Cano is getting his chances, Buck is letting the front office see what Cano is. Soon it will be a no-brainer to clear the roster spot. It’s just money. Baseball quality cannot be ignored for money.
I was moved by the Edwin Diaz interview with Steve Gelbs. A warm guy. Glad this perennially troubled team is having a moment of joy and celebration… maybe it will lead to something more, likely not without its challenges ahead… Congrats, Metsies!