Tylor Megill, Mets' Bullpen Throw Combined No-Hitter In Win Over Phillies
NEW YORK -- With the 10th anniversary of Johan Santana's no-hitter approaching on June 1, the Mets' second no-no in franchise history came via a combined effort against the Phillies on Friday, April 29. This was the club's first combined no-hitter in the team's existence.
Starting pitcher Tylor Megill kicked things off with five hitless innings, but was pulled after throwing 88 pitches. Luckily, the bullpen would do the rest as Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz finished the job by not surrendering a hit across the final four frames in a 3-0 victory. The Mets' pitching staff struck out a total of 12 batters and walked six on a combined 159 pitches. The Mets became the first team in baseball to produce a no-hitter during the 2022 regular season.
Megill continued his strong start to the season with five scoreless innings on 88 pitches. The righty did not allow a hit, struck out five batters and walked three. Megill now has a 1.93 ERA across five starts in 2022.
"It was exciting, obviously a team win," Megill said. "All these guys came in and filled up the zone, did their job, and were fearless and attacked hitters.
"It was the first (no-hitter) I've been a part of so I'm glad it was with this group of guys. I'm proud of these guys. I'm ecstatic, It's crazy."
Smith was the first man out of the bullpen in this game and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to go along with four strikeouts and one walk. Smith is one of seven pitchers in the league to throw at least nine innings without allowing a run this season.
Next, it was the lefty Rodriguez, who threw a scoreless inning, and walked two batters. Lugo entered with one out in the top of the eighth to get the next two men out to keep the combined no-hitter intact.
In the ninth inning, closer Edwin Diaz struck out the side to complete the no-hitter and solidify a historic night for his team.
On the other side of the ball, Jeff McNeil broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run single off Phillies starter Aaron Nola. The Mets got an additional run off Nola on a solo shot from Pete Alonso, his fourth of the year, in the bottom of the sixth. The Phillies' righty struck out nine batters in this outing, but ultimately suffered the loss.
After the game, it was revealed that four out of the five Mets pitchers to appear in Friday night's contest were unaware of the fact that they were protecting a no-hitter while they were on the mound.
"I didn't know until late," Megill said. "In the moment, you aren't really paying attention to it. But then obviously deeper into the game you start to look at the scoreboard and see it."
"I came in, I saw Sugar (Diaz) warming up; I was in the gym in the ninth and I looked up and saw a zero and said: 'Drew (Smith), don't say nothing but we gotta get out there,'" Lugo said.
"I didn't know until the eighth," Smith said, "I was doing my arm care and I wasn't even looking at the TV, but they had the audio on in the training room. So I heard (team broadcaster) Gary (Cohen) say something about history and I saw the zero. Nobody knew in the bullpen, not a single person."
That's when James McCann, who caught all nine innings behind the plate, leaned over to Diaz and asked: "Sugar, did you know?"
"Yes, I did," Diaz said. "I like to watch the scoreboard every time because I want to know who I'm facing. I saw the three zeroes so I stayed quiet. I start warming up, I come in and James goes 'hey we're going to stop using the PitchCom because It's going to be loud.'"
The Phillies' offense has a chance to put up historic numbers this season, featuring a lineup made up of several superstar sluggers in reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, among others. Holding this unit hitless across nine innings is just another testament to how impressive the Mets' pitching staff's performance was on Friday, and how strong they've been overall this season (2.79 ERA, second in MLB).
"That's a good lineup," McCann said. "Shutting down a lineup like that with some big time hitters, you can't say enough good things about these guys making their pitches tonight.”
“It’s something that (will) be in history forever,” McCann said. “Whether it’s one pitcher or five pitchers, it’s a no-hitter. It’s just special.”
It was a special night indeed, followed by a special celebration in the clubhouse afterward. According to first baseman Pete Alonso, the Mets’ clubhouse celebration featured loud music, specifically DMX. The team was bouncing around and screaming like little kids as Alonso illustrated.
The Mets are now 15-6 on the year, the best record in baseball. They'll look to extend their franchise record to seven consecutive series wins to start the year when Taijuan Walker returns from the IL to face the Phillies on Saturday.
Read More:
- Why Robinson Canó's Roster Spot With Mets Could Be Safe - For Now
- Mets To Meet With MLB Executive Regarding Hit By Pitch, Baseball Grip Issues
- Benches Clear Between Mets-Cardinals After Tensions Reach Boiling Point For HBPs
Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
