NEW YORK — For just the second time in the team’s 60-year history, the Mets enjoyed no-hitting their opponent. But this time, it took five arms to accomplish the feat.
Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz combined to throw a no-hitter across the full nine innings, silencing a Phillies lineup that had arrived on a hot streak, and resulting in a 3-0 win on Friday night at Citi Field.
Teammates mobbed Diaz in a celebration in front of home plate after the Mets closer struck out the side, fanning Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, and J.T. Realmuto, to accomplish the rare triumph.
The Mets (15-6) recorded their first no-hitter in 10 years, but Johan Santana still holds the honor of being the only pitcher in franchise history to deliver the club’s singular no-hitter, doing so on June 1, 2012 in an 8-0 win over the Cardinals. What Santana did one decade ago remains in a league of its own compared to Friday night’s pitching performance. But surrounded by a rowdy home crowd of over 32,000, the Mets’ 21st game of the season was still one to remember as the team combined to throw a no-hitter for the first time ever.
The Phillies (10-11) had accumulated 32 runs in their last four games, all against the Rockies, before Mets pitchers suppressed their noise.
Megill proved he can go toe-to-toe with some of the best pitchers in the game, as the Mets right-hander dueled with Phillies All-Star and Cy Young award finalist Aaron Nola on Friday. Megill walked away from his outing with a no-hitter through five innings, but Mets manager Buck Showalter made the obvious, if cautious, move of pulling him after 88 pitches. Megill hasn’t even been in the big leagues for a full year yet, and the young righty is still building up his workload and innings. Showalter has been careful not to overwork his starters this early in the season, and Friday night was no different.
Smith, Rodriguez, Lugo and Diaz combined to record the final 12 outs, the latter collecting his fourth save of the season. Mets pitchers combined to throw 159 pitches and 12 strikeouts in the win.
As far as the run support: Pete Alonso finally got his pitch, and it wasn’t head-high.
Following a turbulent past few days for Alonso, including getting hit by a pitch on his helmet and then being at the center of a benches-clearing brawl, the slugger pummeled a first-pitch change-up from Aaron Nola and sent it to the left field seats in the sixth inning. Alonso’s fourth home run of the season padded the Mets’ edge for a three-run lead.
The Mets offense did its part in the team’s ninth win in its last 12 games, amassing 10 hits and cashing in with runners in scoring position. But the Mets pitching staff was not-so-quietly the hero of the first of a long string of upcoming games in the club’s NL East division.
The Mets on Friday began a 14-game stretch against NL East teams, exclusively. After the three-game Phillies series, the Mets will host the Braves at Citi Field for four games, including a doubleheader on Tuesday. Then the Mets on Thursday will embark on a seven-game, eight-day road trip to Philly and Washington D.C.
