New York Mets’ Tylor Megill, 4 relievers combine for no-hitter vs. Philadelphia Phillies

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 defeat 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 Rodriguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz completing the second no-hitter in Mets history.

With the crowd of 32,416 standing and chanting “Let’s go, Mets,” Diaz finished it off in style, striking out Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto in the ninth — all of them swinging.

“Team game,” Megill said.

“I’m ecstatic. It’s crazy,” he said. “First one I’ve been part of.”

Mets pitchers combined to fan 12 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 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets started play as an expansion team in 1962 and this was their 9,499th regular-season game.

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Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo made the best defensive play, running to make a diving catch on Jean Segura’s sinking liner in right-center to end the third.

“It looked close,” Megill said.

The Mets poured onto the field and mobbed Diaz after the final out as a graphic picturing the five pitchers with the words “BLACK OUT” showed on the scoreboard.

“It’s fun to watch,” Mets first-year manager Buck Showalter said.

James McCann has now caught two no-hitters in his career, the other coming in 2020 with Lucas Giolito.

There have been 17 combined no-hitters in MLB history, nine of which have come over the past 20 seasons. The past three have all been by National League teams (Chicago Cubs on June 24, 2021, at Los Angeles Dodgers; Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 11, 2021, at Cleveland; and Mets on Friday vs. Phillies).

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 versus 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 Dodgers in 2014.

Megill (4-0) struck out five and walked three in his 23rd major league start. Smith got four outs, Rodriguez got three and Lugo recorded the last two outs in the eighth before Diaz took over.

Jeff McNeil hit a two-run single in the fifth off Aaron Nola (1-3). Pete Alonso homered with two outs in the sixth.

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