NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets starter Tylor Megill and four relievers combined on the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season, teaming up to throw a whopping 159 pitches and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 Friday night.
Megill was pulled after five innings and 88 pitches. The bullpen took over from there, with Drew Smith, Joely Rodríguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Díaz completing the second no-hitter in Mets history.
Díaz finished it off in style, striking out Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto in the ninth. Mets pitchers combined to fan 13 and walk six.
Johan Santana threw the Mets’ only previous no-hitter on June 1, 2012, when he struck out eight and needed 134 pitches in an 8-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets began play as an expansion team in 1962.
Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo made the best defensive play, running to make diving catch on Jean Segura’s sinking liner in right-center to end the third.
A year ago, there were a record nine no-hitters in the majors.
Last weekend, six Tampa Bay Rays pitchers combined to carry a no-hit bid into the 10th inning of a scoreless game against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox broke up the no-hitter and scored twice in the top of the 10th but the Rays came back to win 3-2. By official MLB rules, it did not count as a no-hitter because Rays pitchers didn't end the game allowing no hits.
This was the first no-hitter against the Phillies since Josh Beckett pitched one for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014.
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