Hey Mets, this is how it’s done!
The San Francisco Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres Friday night, the first Major League no-no this season.
Sanchez nearly had a perfect game, striking out 11 and walking none. The Padres’ only baserunner was Chase Headley, who reached first on an error by third baseman Juan Uribe. Center fielder Aaron Rowand saved the day in the ninth with a leaping catch at the wall on a deep fly hit by pinch-hitter Edgar Gonzalez.
The Padres were on the negative side of a no-hitter for the seventh time since beginning play in 1969. San Diego, of course, is one of only four Major League teams to have never pitched a no-hitter, and the Padres count is up to 6,441, trailing the Mets by 1,126 games.
It was the Giants’ first no-hitter since Sept. 29, 1976, when John Montefusco no-hit the Atlanta Braves during a 9-0 victory. The one before that was against the Mets on Aug. 24, 1975.
The Mets actually had 12 hits the day that San Francisco Giants pitcher El Halicki hurled his no-hitter against the team. Unfortunately, all 12 hits came in the first game of the doubleheader at Candlestick Park. The Mets won the opener 9-5, thanks in part to a fifth-inning Grand Slam by Dave Kingman.
Halicki struck out 10 and walked 2 in the nightcap, which turned a bit controversial in the fifth inning when the Mets’ Rusty Staub hit a line drive up the middle.
The ball ricocheted off of Halicki’ shin and rolled to second baseman Derrel Thomas. Thomas bobbled it before throwing to first, allowing the far-from-fleet-footed Grande L’Orange to beat the throw. The official scorer received cheers when he ruled the play an E4, a call that New York Daily News columnist Dick Young took issue with. Halicki has since said he thought the call was correct.
