List of New York Mets no-hitters
The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball franchise based in the New York City borough of Queens. Formed in 1962, they play in the National League East division. The Mets had gone 8,019 games before their first no-hitter, which is the most by any MLB team.[1] Mets pitchers have previously thrown 36 one-hitters. Several notable Mets pitchers, including Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and David Cone went on to hurl no-hitters after leaving the team. A no-hitter is officially recognized by Major League Baseball only "when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings. In a no-hit game, a batter may reach base via a walk, an error, a hit by pitch, a passed ball or wild pitch on strike three, or catcher's interference."[2] No-hitters of less than nine complete innings were previously recognized by the league as official; however, several rule alterations in 1991 changed the rule to its current form.[3] Only one team in Major League Baseball, the San Diego Padres, has never had a pitcher accomplish the feat.[4]
The umpire is also an integral part of any no-hitter. The task of the umpire in a baseball game is to make any decision "which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out… [the umpire's judgment on such matters] is final."[5] Part of the duties of the umpire making calls at home plate includes defining the strike zone, which "is defined as that area over homeplate (sic) the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap."[5] These calls define every baseball game and are therefore integral to the completion of any no-hitter.[6]
The manager is another integral part of any no-hitter. The tasks of the manager include determining the starting rotation as well as batting order and defensive lineup every game.
No perfect games, a special subcategory of no-hitter, have been thrown in Mets history. Tom Seaver came the closest on July 9, 1969 when he threw 8 1⁄3 perfect innings against the Chicago Cubs before rookie backup outfielder Jimmy Qualls lined a clean single to left field, breaking up Seaver's perfect game.[7] As defined by Major League Baseball, "in a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game."[2]
List of no-hitters in Mets history
| ¶ | Indicates a perfect game |
| £ | Pitcher was left-handed |
| * | Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
| # | Date | Pitcher | Final score | Base- runners |
Opponent | Catcher | Plate umpire | Manager | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 1, 2012 | Santana, JohanJohan Santana£ | 8–0 | 5 | St. Louis Cardinals | Thole, JoshJosh Thole | Cederstrom, GaryGary Cederstrom | Collins, TerryTerry Collins |
|
[8] |
See also
References
- ↑ "Santana no-no a long time coming for Mets". ESPN. June 1, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- 1 2 "MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ Kurkjian, Tim (June 29, 2008). "No-hit win makes no sense, except in baseball". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ Brock, Corey (June 2, 2012). "Padres are lone team without a no-hitter". MLB.com. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- 1 2 "Umpires: Rules of Interest". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ Bronson, Eric. Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter's Box, Pgs 98–99. ISBN 0-8126-9556-9. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ↑ Bondy, Stefan (June 2, 2012). "Tom Seaver spoiler, Jimmy Qualls, happy to see end to NY Mets' misery on the mound". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- ↑ Boxscore: St. Louis vs. NY Mets - June 1, 2012 MLB.com. Retrieved 1 June 2012