Selene Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 As Casey would have said..."It was simply amazin!!!!"In a throw back performance, Johan Santana, coming off re-constructive shoulder surgery, threw 134 pitches and recorded the first no hitter in the 8,020th game in New York Mets history against the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!!!!It took fifty one years to accomplish this feat. The Mets have had great pitchers, but never climbed this mountain successfully.I can remember the sight in 1969 of journeyman James Robert Qualls of the Chicago Cub's soft opposite field single falling on the plush green left center field Shea Stadium grass with two (2) out in the ninth (9th) inning and breaking up Tom Seaver's bid for a perfect game. Forty years ago, little-known Qualls spoiled Seaver's bid at perfectionIf you happened to be thumbing through the Newsday sports section on Thursday, you may have noticed an unusual box score: Mets 4, Cubs 0, in New York. Time of game: 2 hours, 2 minutes. Then you read the not-so-fine print: the game -- a Tom Seaver one-hitter -- was played 40 years ago, when the Mets were becoming the Miracle Mets, winners of the '69 World Series. Newsday is paying tribute to the team.That game was more than a one-hitter. Shea Stadium was packed and the Cubs were in first place, but the Mets were coming on strong. I was a nine-year-old kid that summer, listening to the game on a transistor radio in a backyard tent at my parents' house in Patchogue, L.I., in the heart of Mets country. Seaver retired the side -- and you need all this to understand the rising tide of tension -- in the first inning, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the eighth. He retired the first batter in the ninth. Seaver was two outs away from perfection.In sports, as in life, there's not much that's perfect. The 300-game in bowling, hard to improve on that. The '72 Miami Dolphins, who won 14 games and never lost, people call that "The Perfect Season," although it wasn't like every game was shutout. There's Nadia Comaneci and all those 10s she piled up at the '76 Olympics. I happen to be sympathetic to the argument about whether human beings (the judges) can put the stamp of perfection on what another person does, but if you want to call that performance perfection, enjoy. That's all a long time ago now.Read more: http://sportsillustr...l#ixzz1wbS3O4YXNow a Queen's boy pitched the first no hitter ever pitched in Queens. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Are you mixing up no-hitter with perfect game?--Brantthe gold standard for me is the shut out with ERA and complete games as runner ups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Are you mixing up no-hitter with perfect game?--Brantthe gold standard for me is the shut out with ERA and complete games as runner upsNope...No hitter means opposition batters can reach by 1) walk; 2) error; 3) Hit By Pitch; 4) Catcher's interference; and 5) 3rd strike swinging gets by thecatcher;Perfect game is 27 consecutive batters retired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Okay. Just hard to believe no no-hitter for 52 yrs.--BrantNoland Ryan was the most over-rated Mets pitcher and Seaver by far the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Noland Ryan was the most over-rated Mets pitcher and Seaver by far the bestSo true. Tom Seaver: win ratio = .603 ERA = 2.86; Nolan Ryan: win ratio = .526 ERA = 3.19Also, Ryan is over-rated due to strikeouts. Of the 24 pitchers who had 300 or more career wins, Ryan's .526 is the lowest win ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Okay. Just hard to believe no no-hitter for 52 yrs.--BrantNoland Ryan was the most over-rated Mets pitcher and Seaver by far the bestBelieve me - every Met fan could not believe that it finally happened last night! http://nonohitters.com/This now leaves only one (1) major league team that has never had a no-hitter/perfect game [which is automatically a no-hitter] pitched under its' banner, or, had a hitter hit for the cycle [single, double, triple and home run in one game...considered to be the most difficult feat in baseball].That team is the San Diego Padres who were founded in 1969: The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times. They and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the only MLB California teams to originate in California; the Dodgers and Giants are originally from New York, and the Athletics are originally from Philadelphia.The Padres remain the only team left in MLB to not have a pitcher throw a no-hitter after Johan Santana threw a no-hitter on June 1, 2012 for the New York Mets against the St. Louis Cardinals. They are also the only team in the MLB to never have a player hit for the cycle.In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game.[1] Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle".[2] Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball (MLB), occurring 293 times since the first by Curry Foley in 1882.[3] In terms of frequency, the cycle is roughly as common as a no-hitter (272 occurrences in MLB history);[4][5] it has been called "one of the rarest"[6] and "most difficult feats"[7] in baseball. Based on 2009 offensive levels, the probability of an average MLB player hitting for a cycle against an average team in a game is approximately 0.00590%; this corresponds to about 2.5 cycles in a 162-game season with 30 teams.[8]In other baseball leagues, the cycle is achieved less frequently. Through September 4, 2008, 62 players in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the top-level baseball organization in Japan, have hit for the cycle,[9][10] the most recent being Michihiro Ogasawara.[11] Two players have hit for the cycle on the same day once in NPB history; this has occurred twice in MLB history. One NPB player has also hit for the cycle in an NPB All-Star game. No player has ever hit for the cycle in the MLB All-Star Game or the postseason.[12]That means that it has been forty-three [43] years for the Padres!Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Noland Ryan was the most over-rated Mets pitcher and Seaver by far the bestSo true. Tom Seaver: win ratio = .603 ERA = 2.86; Nolan Ryan: win ratio = .526 ERA = 3.19Also, Ryan is over-rated due to strikeouts. Of the 24 pitchers who had 300 or more career wins, Ryan's .526 is the lowest win ratio.Two different types of pitchers - both great in their own way - For on game, I would pick Seaver, but not by much...Seaver [still considered one of the best starting pitchers in baseball]20 years3,640 strike outs1 no-hitter5 one hitters3 Cy Young AwardsRyan27 years 5,714 strike outs #1 in baseball history 7 no-hitters #1 in baseball history 12 one hitters tied for #1 with Bob Feller no Cy Young Awards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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