Steve Politi of the Newark Star-Ledger had a great column about the Mets’ dubious no no-hitters streak today in which I was quoted about this site.
Politi interviewed Jimmy Qualls, who hit a ninth-inning, one-out single to break up Tom Seaver’s perfect game on July 9, 1969. Said Mets’ announcer Ralph Kiner at the time, “A clean hit to left-center-field, and there goes the perfect game.” The Mets would win 4-0 and go on to win their first World Series that year, but little did the 59,000 fans who packed Shea Stadium that night know that 40 years and one stadium later, we’d continue to be so disappointed.
I had seen Qualls quoted a couple of times before, but it was interesting that he had not been aware that the Mets have never had a no-hitter until that interview.
Seaver would eventually go on to get a no-no as a Cincinnati Red, but not before having two more near misses as a Met:
- July 4, 1972 – Mets 2, San Diego Padres 0 – ninth-inning, one-out single by Leron Lee
- Sept. 24, 1975 – Mets 2, Chicago Cubs 0 – two-out, ninth-inning single by Joe Wallis (Seaver gave up two more hits in the 10th)
I can’t wait until Johan Santana takes one into the eighth or ninth inning like Seaver, even if the end result is similar.
