Posts Tagged ‘leadoff hit’

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7,480: Mets drop to 1 GB in wild-card with 6-1 loss to Marlins

Friday, September 26th, 2008
New York Mets game number
7,480 games without a New York Mets no-hitter

The Mets could manufacture just one run and the Marlins scored early and kept adding runs late Friday night as Florida won 6-1 to leave the Mets two games back in the N.L. East with only two games left in the season.

With capturing the division looking highly unlikely, the Mets’ postseason hopes now lie in the wild-card race, but the out-of-town scoreboard provided little good news. The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 5-1, giving the Brewers a one-game lead over the Mets in the wild-card standings.

Mets’ starter Mike Pelfrey got into trouble in the first inning, giving up a leadoff single to Hanley Ramirez, who then stole second. Ramirez scored on a John Baker single, Jorge Cantu followed with a double and Baker scored on a Dan Uggla ground-out.

Pelfrey settled in and pitched well over the next five innings until giving up a two-out solo homer in the sixth inning to Josh Willingham.

The Mets finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the sixth after Ryan Church walked, Ramon Martinez hit a double down the left field line and Schneider grounded into a fielder’s choice that let Church cross the plate.

Bobby Parnell came in to pitch the top of the seventh but gave up a leadoff walk to Luis Gonzalez. Pinch-runner Brett Carroll stole second and scored on a Ramirez single mishandled by left fielder Daniel Murphy to make it 4-1. Pedro Feliciano came in to throw one pitch to and hit Baker on the hand during his bunt attempt before being pulled for Aaron Heilman, who loaded the bases and walked in a run. The fourth reliever – Joe Smith – was finally able to get the third out.

The Marlins added their sixth run on a walk and two singles off Brian Stokes in the seventh inning.

Pelfrey lost his no-hitter on Ramirez’s lead-off a single, marking the franchise’s 7,480th game without a no-no and the 40th time this season a Mets starter lost it right off the bat. That’s more than double the average of 19 opening-batter no-no kills per season over the previous 46 years. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for a list of the 2008 immediate breakups.)

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7,478: Mets waste late-inning opportunities, fall into wild-card tie with Brewers

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
New York Mets game number
7,478 games without a New York Mets no-hitter

Derrek Lee blooped an RBI single and Aramis Ramirez followed with a two-run homer to give the Chicago Cubs a 10th-inning 9-6 win over the New York Mets.

The Mets put runners on third base with no outs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but could manage just one run out of those opportunities when Ramon Martinez drew an eighth-inning bases loaded walk to tie the game at 6.

The Mets appeared poised for a walk-off victory in the bottom of the ninth after rookie Daniel Murphy led off with a triple. But after Cubs reliever Bob Howry struck out David Wright, he issued an intentional passes to Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran and then got Ryan Church to ground into a fielder’s choice that forced Murphy out at home. Howry then struck out Ramon Castro to send the game to extra innings.

The emotional roller coaster ride began in the second inning when Mets starter Oliver Perez gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Mark DeRosa.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano, just two starts removed from throwing a no-hitter, was wild but nearly unhittable. But the Mets pounced on him for five runs in the third, as three straight walks, an umpire who wouldn’t give up the corners and Jose Reyes creeping down the third baseline proved too much of a distraction. Zambrano threw a 3-2 pitch, and Carlos Delgado blasted it over the left center field wall for a grand slam that gave the Mets a 5-1 lead.

Unfortunately, Perez would give back those runs in the fifth when he yielded a bases-loaded double to DeRosa and reliever Duaner Sanchez let Perez’s other two baserunners score on a single.

The Cubs took a 6-5 lead in the seventh when Alfonso Soriano doubled home Ronny Cedeno, which held until the eighth-inning bases-loaded walk.

Perez lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits and five walks while striking out six. His no-hitter disappeared right off the bat. Soriano lead off with a single to left-center that fell just out of the reach of a diving Murphy, extending our NoNoHitters.com count of Mets games without a no-no to 7,478 games.

It also marked the 39th time this season that a potential Mets no-no was broken up on the first at bat. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details.)

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7,474: Mets slip back into second with loss to Braves

Saturday, September 20th, 2008

New York Mets game number
7,474 games without a New York Mets no-hitter

Pedro Martinez

The Mets’ time back in first-place lasted just a day.

Pedro Martinez gave up three first-inning runs and no one but their starting pitcher could muster an RBI as the Atlanta Braves beat the Mets 4-2 Saturday night. With the Philadelphia Phillies’ 3-2 victory over the Florida Marlins, the Mets now find themselves a half-game out of first in the N.L. East, but 2 1/2 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card race.

The Braves’ first-inning rally began with a leadoff single by Josh Anderson, instantly killing Martinez’s chance of a no-hitter and advancing our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,474 games. Martinez then gave up a walk, a double and three singles, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead.

Martinez pitched six innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out seven. He also accounted for the Mets’ only runs, doubling deep right center to drive in Carlos Beltran and Brian Schneider.

Anderson’s leadoff single marked the 38th time this season that a potential Mets no-no was broken up on the first at bat. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details.)

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7,457: Mets beat Marlins with three solo homers

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Carlos Beltran, Nick Evans and David Wright each hit solo homers and Pedro Martinez settled in after giving up two first-inning runs as the Mets beat the Florida Marlins 6-3 Sunday.

The Mets added three insurance runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Jose Reyes and Ryan Church and a sacrifice fly by Carlos Beltran. Reyes extended his hitting streak to 11 games, and Evans’ third-inning shot was his first Major League home run.

Martinez again lost his no-hitter on the leadoff batter – the fifth time this month – advancing our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,457 games without a no-hitter. His slow start led to two first-inning Marlins runs, but he settled in for the next five innings and at least he didn’t give up a leadoff homer.

Martinez served up opening-hit homers on Aug. 1, Aug. 6 and Aug. 21, yielded a leadoff double on Tuesday and allowed an opening single on Sunday. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details on leadoff hits.) A typical Mets’ season sees 19 leadoff hits. We’ve already had 36 this year, and we haven’t even reached September.

The Mets tapped heavily into their bullpen, using Scott Schoeneweis, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Brian Stokes to finish out the game. Reyes helped out Stokes with a diving run-saving grab with two outs in the ninth.

Additional help arrives tomorrow when Major League rosters expand to 40 players.

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7,455: Beltran’s ninth-inning grand slam lifts Mets to 5-4 win

Friday, August 29th, 2008

Down to their last out in the ninth Friday night, the New York Mets pulled out a thriller when Carlos Beltran hit a clutch grand slam to lead the Mets to a 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins.

The Mets once again jumped on the scoreboard in the first inning when Beltran sacrificed home Jose Reyes, but that would be the team’s only run until the ninth.

Their two-out, ninth-inning began with singles by Luis Castillo and David Wright. Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg hit Carlos Delgado in the foot with a pitch, and then Beltran blasted the ball over the right field fence.

Defacto Mets closer Luis Ayala let in two runs on four hits in the bottom of the ninth, but rookie outfielder Daniel Murphy made a great play on Jorge Cantu’s line-drive double down the left field line to hold the tying run at third. Ayala then got Wes Helms to ground out to Reyes to get the … um … “save.”

Mets starter Oliver Perez gave up just three hits in six innings of work, yielding two runs – one of them earned. His control was a bit inconsistent as he struck out four but walked five, but he kept the Mets in the game.

Perez lost his no-hitter on the first batter when Hanley Ramirez hit a grounder to deep short that Jose Reyes fielded but held, as he had no chance of throwing out Ramirez. That bumped our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,455 Mets games without a no-hitter and it marked the 35th time this season that a potential Mets no-no was broken up on the first at bat. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details on leadoff hits.)

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7,454: Mets rally in eighth to beat Phils, take back first

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

The Mets scored four eighth-inning runs Wednesday night to beat the Phillies 6-3 and take back first place in the National League East.

Carlos Delgado was the game’s MVP, with two homers and a single for 3 RBIs, and Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes each went 3-for-5 with three singles.

Delgado tied the game in the eighth with a solo homer, and after Beltran singled, Daniel Murphy hit a double down the right field line to put the Mets ahead 4-3. Brian Schneider then sneaked a blooper behind third base to score Ryan Church and Murphy.

Santana was less than spectacular but made some big pitches when he needed to. He lasted six innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six, including two big ones in the sixth.

Santana lost his no-hitter on the first batter when Jimmy Rollins hit a broken-bat blooper into left-center, bumping our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,454 Mets games without a no-hitter. It marked the 34th time this season that a potential Mets no-no was broken up on the first at bat. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details on leadoff hits.)

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7,453: Mets blow 7-run lead, lose hold on N.L. East

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Shane Victorino led off the bottom of the 13th inning with a triple and Chris Coste drove him home early Wednesday morning as the Philadelphia Phillies overcame a 7-0 deficit to beat the New York Mets and take over first place in the N.L. East.

The Mets jumped on starter Jamie Moyer early when Jose Reyes led off with a triple in the gap and Damion Easley singled him home. The Mets then loaded the bases for Fernando Tatis, who made it 2-0 with a single to center.

Easley followed up in the second inning with a homer to left center, and then Tatis fouled off a seemingly endless barrage of pitches from Moyer before launching a fastball over the left field fence for a 3-run home run to make it 6-0.

But the Phillies creeped back, beginning in the fourth when they got their first run on a groundout. Rollins and Ryan Howard both hit two-run homers in the fifth to make it 7-5.

The Mets loaded the bases in the sixth but couldn’t capitalize, letting the Phils complete their comback with a run on three singles in the eighth and a pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth.

Reliever Aaron Heilman pitched out of jams in the 10th and 11th innings, and then retired the side in the 12th, finishing with a 3-2 slider that froze Ryan Howard.

But after giving up a leadoff triple to Victorino and intentionally walking the bases loaded, Scott Schowenweis could get just one out – a strikeout of the Phils relief pitcher – before letting Coste hit the ball into centerfield for a walk-off win.

Martinez again lost his no-hitter on the first batter, giving up a double down the right field line to Jimmy Rollins. That marked the fourth time this month that the leadoff batter has tagged Martinez (the other three were home runs) and the 911th time in the Mets’ 46+ year history that a potential Mets no-hitter was broken up by a leadoff hit. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details on leadoff hits.) Our NoNoHitters.com count is now at 7,453.

Easley nearly became the 10th Met to hit for the cycle with an RBI single in the first, a solo homer in the second, a triple in the fourth and a bunt single in the sixth. He was due to lead off the 14th inning if the Mets could have made it that far.

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7,433: First-pitch homer off Pedro dooms Mets no-hitter, Mets lose 4-2

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Well, it didn’t take long to get to 7,433.

Jody Gerut knocked Pedro Martinez’s fist pitch over the right field wall Wednesday night to give the San Diego Padres a 1-0 lead (2-0 after Brian Giles’ dinger two batters later) and advance our NoNoHitters.com count one more game.

The Mets lost 4-2, but Martinez and pitched well. He lasted 6 1/3 innings, giving up just four hits but he yielding three runs (only two of them earned) and three walks.

Rookie Daniel Murphy had a strong night, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

The leadoff homer off Pedro marked the 49th time in the franchise’s 46 1/2-season history that a potential Mets no-hitter was broken up by a home run. In fact, Pedro did it in his previous start in Houston on Friday, yielding a leadoff homer to the Astros’ Kazuo Matsui.

See our updated No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details on this and the 30 other instantly killed no-hitters so far this year.

The Phillies shut out the Marlins, so the Mets fall to three games back in the National League East.

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7,431: Mets lose fourth straight as Astros win 4-0

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

The New York Mets scattered nine hits but couldn’t score a single run as the team dropped its fourth straight in a 4-0 loss to the Houston Astros.

Starter Oliver Perez pitched well early (a second-inning homer by Ty Wigginton aside), but he got into trouble in the fourth by yielding four consecutive hits – three of them doubles – for three runs.

Perez lost his no-hitter in the first inning when leadoff hitter Kaz Matsui singled to right center. It was the 30th time this season that a Mets starter has given up a leadoff hit, and the 908th time in the team’s 46 1/2-season history. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details.)

With John Maine placed on the retroactive disabled list to make room for another reliever, Eddie Kunz was called up from AA Binghamton and did his job in one inning of relief. Maine will likely miss just one start, and the move was made mostly to avoid placing Billy Wagner on the DL, as he’s dealing with stiffness in his left forearm. That’s troubling as despite last night’s blown save, we all know what happens when the Mets can’t call on Wagner to finish. (See Heilman, Aaron … Sanchez, Duaner)

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7,429: Eighth inning grand slam off Heilman beats Mets

Friday, August 1st, 2008

Aaron Heilman gave up an eighth inning grand slam to Mark Loretta Friday night to give the Houston Astros a 7-3 win over the New York Mets.

Pedro Martinez returned to the rotation, giving up five hits and two walks over five innings. Unfortunately, three of those five hits
were solo home runs.

The first came right away, as Kazuo Matsui led off the bottom half of the first with a dinger to right-center. It’s the 48th time a New York Mets pitcher has given up a homer to the first batter, and it bumped our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,429 Mets games without a no-hitter. (See our No-hitters killed by first at bat page for more details.)

At least the Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies both lost, so the Mets remain a game back on the Phils.

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