Mets No-Hitters History at NoNoHitters.com

Johan Santana
(NoNoHitters.com photo)

For the first time in 8,019 games, a New York Mets game has ended with a zero in the opposing team’s “H” column.

Johan Santana threw a no-hitter Friday to accomplish what Nolan Ryan, Tom seaver, Dwight Gooden and David Cone could do only for other teams – not the Mets.

Santana scattered five walks and struck out eight during the 8-0 victory.

Santana’s no-no leaves the San Diego Padres as the only franchise without a no-hitter, and anoints the Padres with newfound infamy as the team with the longest drought. We haven’t yet worked out their current count.

The Mets drought stretched into the team’s 50th season, starting when the St. Louis Cardinals’ Julian Javier singled to left off Mets starter Roger Craig on April 11, 1962, during the Mets franchise’s first Major League game.

In addition to Ryan, Seaver, Gooden, Cone, Mike Scott and Hideo Nomo also pitched no-hitters after leaving the Mets. Nomo is the only pitcher to hurl no-nos both before (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1996) and after (Boston Red Sox, 2001) his stints with the Mets.

The rest of the cast pitching no-hitters before joining the Mets includes Don Cardwell (Chicago Cubs), Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves), Dean Chance (Minnesota Twins), Dock Ellis (Pittsburgh Pirates), John Candelaria (Pittsburgh Pirates), Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City Royals), Scott Erickson (Twins), Al Leiter (Florida Marlins) and Kenny Rogers (Texas Rangers).

Thank you, Johan for finally breaking the curse.

May 15, 1970 – New York Mets 4, Philadelphia Phillies 0 – Connie Mack Stadium
No-no killed by third-inning Mike Compton single

Tom Seaver’s second one-hitter marked the only time in club history that Mets pitchers threw consecutive one-hitters.

The Mets had a travel day after Gary Gentry’s one-hitter, but Seaver took the mound the next night at Connie Mack Stadium and dominated the Phillies with a 15-strikeout performance.

The only hit yielded by Seaver was a third-inning Mike Compton single, although he walked three during the night and two batters reached base on Mets’ errors.

Thirty-three years later the Mets would throw two one-hitters in three games, but Gentry’s and Seaver’s back-to-back gems remain the team’s only consecutive one-hitters.

May 13, 1970 – New York Mets 4, Chicago Cubs 0 – Wrigley Field
No-no killed by Ernie Banks eighth-inning single

Gary Gentry, the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series, retired the first 12 batters during this Wednesday afternoon contest at Wrigley Field before issuing a leadoff walk to Ron Santo in the fifth.

Gentry got Johnny Callison to ground into a 6-3 double play and kept his no-hitter alive until the eighth inning, when the legendary Ernie Banks hit a two-out single to left and extended the Mets no no-hitters streak to 1,330 games.

Gentry hit pinch-hitter Willie Smith with a pitch in the ninth but retired the next two batters for a Mets 4-0 win and the team’s fifth one-hitter.

Gentry helped his cause with the bat in the fifth inning by singling home Wayne Garrett, who had a 2-for-3 day with a double and triple after replacing third-baseman Joe Foy, who was hit by a pitch in the second.

When would the next Mets’ one-hitter come? Two days later during the club’s very next game in Philadelphia.

Still looking for a #padres fan to continue the nonohitters.com tradition with a companion site hosted here at padres.nonohitters.com?

When Johan Sanatana tossed his no-no last June and broke the Mets’ streak of 8,019 games, it left San Diego as the only no no-no club.

I’ll be at Petco Park on Sunday and would love to pass the torch.

Any takers? Email me at passthetorch@nonohitters.com.

In case you missed it last night, here’s the clip of the Rangers’ Yu Darvish losing his perfect game with two outs in the ninth last night.

Ruben Tejada’s second-inning RBI double continues the Padres’ no-hitter drought, moving the count to 6,951 regular season games without a no-no.

When Johan Sanatana tossed his no-no last June and broke the Mets’ streak of 8,019 games, it left San Diego as the only no no-no club. We’re still looking for a Padres fan to take over a companion site, padres.nonohitters.com.

Are there any diehard Padres fans out there who would like to continue the nonohitters.com tradition this season with a companion site hosted here at padres.nonohitters.com?

When Johan Sanatana tossed his no-no last June and broke the Mets’ streak of 8,019 games, it left San Diego as the only no no-no club.

I’ll be in S.D. in a couple of weeks and would love to pass the torch.

Any takers? Email me at passthetorch@nonohitters.com.

48 years ago today, on March 21, 1965, the Mets threw their first no-hitter. *

* it came in a Spring Training Game.

In St. Petersburg, Fla., that day, Gary Kroll and Gordy Richardson combined for a nine-inning no-hitter during a 6-0 contest. Page 30 of the 1965 Mets yearbook sports a picture of Richardson throwing a pitch in the ninth inning and another of Kroll and Richardson getting congratulations from the Mets front office brass the following day.

I wonder if either pitcher knew we’d still celebrate that moment until June 1, 2012.

ESPN New York is reporting that the Mets have a new starting pitcher.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Shaun Marcum is joining a likely rotation that will include Johan Santana, Matt Harvey, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee.

Apparently Marcum took no-hitters into the seventh inning at least twice, so maybe Sanatan will eventually have some company.