While the Phillies were playing through some late innings of a rain-delayed game against the Miami Marlins, history was made just north in Queens, New York.
New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana threw his first career no-hitter Friday night in Citi Field against the St. Louis Cardinals, who came in to the night as the best hitting team in the National League. Santana, who labored through the late innings with a loss of control and rising pitch count, recorded the first no-hitter in New York Mets franchise history.
Just think about that for a second. Think of all of the great pitchers that have played for the Mets through the years. Tom Seaver. Nolan Ryan. Tom Glavine. Pedro Martinez.
Nobody had done it in the 8,000+ games in franchise history. It goes without saying that despite this being the Mets, it is a great baseball moment, especially considering the recent arm injuries Santana has worked through. A hat tip to Santana and the Mets for a wonderful night of baseball and franchise history. For many Mets fans watching their pitcher throw a no-hitter is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For their sake, I would guess it will not be another 50 years until it happens again but who knows for sure.
But the question remains, was it really a no-hitter? This ball, lined down the third base line in the sixth inning by (former Met) Carlos Beltran, says otherwise…
| “Foul” ball. |
Umpires make mistakes of course, but aren’t the umpires supposed to watch for chalk to pop up from the ground? Was it too damp for the chalk to elevate when the ball (clearly) hit the line? If baseball utilized expanded instant replay, perhaps this milestone night never happens.
What do you think happened here? Did an umpire legitimately miss the call, or are you a conspiracy theorist who buys in to the idea that no umpire wanted to make such a close call in the heat of a potential no-hitter? Given what happened in Detroit last year, would an umpire make a decision that would benefit the side of history in this situation? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below.
Oh, and a memo to the San Diego Padres, now the only franchise to not have thrown a no-hitter. You’re up. No pressure.
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