Last minute plans have a tendency to go wrong in many ways. On the other hand, they sometimes manage to work out just fine. This was the case on Thursday May 31, as my friend and I decided to purchase tickets to see the Mets host the Cardinals the following night. Little did we know that we would be a part of history.
As I sat on a train the next afternoon headed towards Citi Field, I was thinking that something special was definitely happening for the Mets this year. Despite the fact of having a roster made up of young and inexperienced players such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Ruben Tejada, and Josh Thole, coupled with an unpredictable bullpen, they were holding their own and playing above .500 in the extremely competitive National League East Division. Another positive fact was that key players such as David Wright and R.A. Dickey were staying healthy and playing top notch ball. For the first time in a long time, Mets fans had something to cheer about.
After missing the entire 2011 season with shoulder problems, Johan Santana was back on the mound for the Mets. Santana was coming off a complete game shutout in his previous start, and Mets fans were hopeful he would continue to throw the ball well in that night’s game.
No one could have anticipated just quite how well.
Any baseball fan will tell you that patience is a virtue. As Santana quickly worked through the first inning, no one in the whole stadium thought that a no hitter was brewing.
Even as the next few innings progressed, it seemed like a normal baseball game. Santana held the Cardinals hitless until the top of the sixth inning. Former Met Carlos Beltran hit a hard groundball down the third base line which seemed to skim the chalk. Luckily for the Santana and the Mets, the ball was called foul much to the disapproval of the Cardinals’ manager, Mike Matheny. It was at this point that a lot of the fans in attendance realized they had been taking Santana’s fluky no hitter bid for granted. A close call going the Mets’ way had barely preserved the hitless streak.
The 7th inning provided yet another heart stopping play. Cardinals’ catcher Yadier Molina came to the plate and smacked a ball deep to left field. At first, it appeared that Santana’s magical night was over. Left fielder Mike Baxter took such a twisted approach to the ball that it seemed like he would never get to it in time. Miraculously, Baxter made the catch on the warning track over his shoulder, slammed into the wall, and fell to the ground, having suffered injuries that would keep him out for over a month. The crowd erupted in applause.. As he left the field under his own power, he was treated to a standing ovation from the fans.
As Santana made it to the eighth inning with his no hitter intact, another issue arose. He was well over 100 pitches and was just coming off shoulder surgery from less than a year ago. Manager Terry Collins had stated before the game that he would only let Santana throw about 110 pitches. Mets fans were concerned they would not see history when he did not immediately appear in the on deck circle before his final at bat. Just as it seemed Santana would be pulled from the game, he emerged from the dugout with his bat and the crowd erupted yet again. Even my friend who is a diehard Yankees fan was rooting for Santana at this point.
Incredibly, Santana breezed through the eigth inning and became the first Met since Tom Seaver to take a no hitter into the ninth.
At this point, there was nothing stopping Santana. The crowd rose to their feet as he walked out to warm up for the ninth inning. Everyone’s heart nearly skipped a beat when he gave up two fly balls to the outfield which were barely caught. The ground at Citi Field was rumbling as the final batter David Freese came to the plate.
Santana refused to give up on Freese after falling behind 3 and 0. He soon worked him to a full count and finally struck him out on a changeup on his 134th pitch.
The crowd went wild as the rest of the team stormed the field to celebrate with Santana. Even a fan managed to evade security and run right into the team’s celebration huddle. In no time, an image of Santana appeared of the scoreboard with the phrase, “NO-HAN” right next to it. Nearly everyone in the stadium stayed for Santana’s postgame interview and to see Justin Turner shove a towel full of whipped cream into his face.
Citi Field felt electrified. Fans chanting Johan’s name could be heard all around the stadium and even on the train back to Penn Station. It was obvious that Mets fans were talking full advantage of the history they had just witnessed. It had taken 8,020 games, but the Mets finally had their first no hitter in team history.
It was an amazing experience to see Johan Santana pitch a no hitter. This was hands down one of the greatest games I have ever seen. In the years to come, it is very likely that many people will claim that they were at Citi Field that night. I am very proud to say I will always have the memory of being one of the 27,068 who actually were.