Schwei's Mets Notes: Amazin's Go Deep, A No-Hitter And More
By John Schweibacher
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Despite being no-hit, having their ace hit hard and blowing a ninth-inning lead for the first time all season, the New York Mets maintained their slim NL East lead thanks to a huge come-from-behind win to close out the week.
The Mets rallied from an 8-3 deficit for a 10-8 victory over the Braves on Sunday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was only the third time since Citi Field opened in 2009 -- and the first time since 2011 -- that the Mets won a home game despite allowing eight or more runs.
That season the Mets rallied to beat the Pirates, 9-8 -- erasing a 7-0 Pittsburgh lead -- for a win on June 2. They also beat the Padres, 9-8, on August 8, scoring five times in the eighth and ninth after trailing 8-4.
The Mets lost to the Braves, 5-3, in 11 innings Saturday. It was their first loss this season when leading going into the ninth inning. The Mets had been 30-0 with a ninth-inning lead coming into the game.
The Elias Sports Bureau notes that the Mets had won their last 97 home games in which they led by at least two runs going into the ninth inning. Their last such loss came on August 20, 2011, when they took a 9-7 lead into the ninth against the Brewers but lost, 11-9. Milwaukee scored four times in the ninth as Jason Isringhausen and Manny Acosta combined to blow the ninth-inning lead.
Wilmer Flores homered in his first at-bat in the cleanup spot in the Mets' 5-3 victory over the Braves Friday night at Citi Field.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in club history that a Mets player had homered in his first major league plate appearance as a cleanup hitter. It was also only the third time in team history that a shortstop batting cleanup had homered for the Mets. Howard Johnson did it twice (8/16/90 vs. LA and 5/12/91 at SF).
According to the Player Game Finder at baseball-reference.com, it was just the 13th time in Mets history that their starting shortstop batted cleanup:
· Howard Johnson: 9
· John Valentin: 2
· Kevin Mitchell: 1
· Wilmer Flores: 1
Michael Cuddyer's single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Mets a 5-4 win over the Giants Friday night. It was their sixth walk-off victory vs. San Francisco at Citi Field, second only to the seven against the Marlins for the most vs. any opponent since the ballpark opened in 2009:
· 6/11/15: Giants 4 Mets 5, Cuddyer single in 9th
· 9/18/13: Giants 4 Mets 5, Satin 2-run single in 9th
· 4/21/12: Giants 4 Mets 5, Posey error in 9th
· 5/8/10: Giants 4 Mets 5, Blanco HR in 11th
· 5/7/10: Giants 4 Mets 6, Barajas 2-run HR in 9th
· 8/16/09: Giants 2 Mets 3, Murphy single in 9th
Chris Heston made history last Tuesday night by throwing a no-hitter at Citi Field against the Mets. The no-hitter was the second in the brief history of Citi Field, joining Johan Santana's against St. Louis on June 1, 2012. The two no-hitters match the total thrown in 45 seasons at Shea Stadium from 1964 through 2008. Jim Bunning threw a perfect game for the Phillies on June 21, 1964, and Bob Moose threw a no-hitter for the Pirates on September 20, 1969.
Ruben Tejada struck out looking against Heston for the final out of the no-hitter. Here are the Mets who made the final outs in the seven no-hitters against them.
· 6/30/62 at LA: Felix Mantilla hit into force-out vs. Sandy Koufax
· 6/21/64 vs. Phi: John Stephenson struck out vs. Jim Bunning
· 9/20/69 vs. Pit: Art Shamsky grounded out vs. Bob Moose
· 10/2/72 at Mtl: Don Hahn hit into force-out vs. Bill Stoneman
· 8/24/75 at SF: Wayne Garrett grounded out vs. Ed Halicki
· 9/8/93 at Hou: Chico Walker struck out vs. Darryl Kile
· 6/9/15 vs. SF: Ruben Tejada struck out vs. Chris Heston
Noah Syndergaard was the losing pitcher in Heston's no-hitter, allowing four runs on 10 hits in six innings. Here are the starters who were on the wrong end of no-hitters against the Mets:
· 6/30/62 at LA: Bob Miller (L) 0.2 ip 5 hits, 4 runs
· 6/21/64 vs. Phi: Tracy Stallard (L) 5.2 ip 7 hits, 6 runs
· 9/20/69 vs. Pit: Gary Gentry (L) 6.0 ip 4 hits, 3 runs
· 10/2/72 at Mtl: Jim McAndrew (L) 2.1 ip 6 hits, 6 runs
· 8/24/75 at SF: Craig Swan (L) 5.0 ip 4 hits, 4 runs
· 9/8/93 at Hou: Frank Tanana (L) 5.0 ip, 7 hits, 4 runs
· 6/9/15 vs. SF: Noah Syndergaard (L) 6.0 10 hits, 4 runs
Things did not get much better for the Mets on Wednesday night. Matt Harvey gave up three home runs in a game for the first time in his career and allowed five runs in the sixth inning as the Mets lost again to the Giants, 8-5.
Here is how the Mets have fared in their next games after being no-hit:
· 6/9/15: Lost vs. SF, 8-5
· 9/10/93: Lost vs. Chi, 12-10
· 8/25/74: Won vs. SD, 4-0
· 10/2/72: Won at Mtl, 2-1 (second game of doubleheader)
· 9/21/69: Won vs. Pit, 5-3
· 6/21/64: Lost vs. Phi, 8-2 (second game of doubleheader)
· 7/1/62: Lost at LA, 5-1
Happy Recap: Darrell Ceciliani -- Rookie outfielder hit his first major league home run in Sunday's win and is hitting .381 in June (8-for-21)
Nine Miles of Rough Road: Danny Muno -- Rookie infielder ties dubious Mets record (held by many) with three errors in one game in extra-inning loss Saturday
