10 Amazin’ Mets facts about Johan Santana’s no-hitter

16 Comments

1. 1
   John Autin says:

   June 2, 2012 at 10:54 am

   Great stuff, Andy. I’m a little surprised by the implications of the last item. I would have guessed that strike rates in no-hitters were not significantly higher, on average, than in other games.

   I’m not generally a big believer in the concept of “effectively wild.” But it did seem to me while watching the game that Johan’s particular flavor of wildness — seemed like he threw a good handful of fastballs that were very high or wide — helped a little in keeping the hitters from picking up the rhythm of his change-up.

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2. 2
   John Autin says:

   June 2, 2012 at 10:57 am

   And nice photo selection, as usual. Maybe I’m gushing, but Johan is the only guy I remember who looks dignified even after a shaving-cream facial.

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3. 3
   Doug says:

   June 2, 2012 at 2:47 pm

   Re: Rob Gardner and the 112 game score

   Gardner’s mound opponent that day was Chris Short, who also pitched 15 innings. Short allowed nine hits, but his 18 strikeouts resulted in an even higher game score than Gardner, at 114.

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   • 7
     e pluribus munu says:

     June 2, 2012 at 3:57 pm

     To add an appendix to Doug’s footnote to this detail from John’s post, the Gardner-Short 0-0 tie (which neither pitcher was man enough to complete) was the nightcap of a twin bill; in the opener, Jim Bunning shut out the Mets on two hits, with a game score of 92. I wonder how many teams have had opposing SPs compile a 206 game score against them in a single day. (The Mets broke out the day after in a dramatic season finale, roughing up Ray Culp for an unearned run to limit his game score to 82.)

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     • 10
       John Autin says:

       June 2, 2012 at 5:27 pm

       You flatter me, e — this is Andy’s post.

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       • 15
         e pluribus munu says:

         June 3, 2012 at 1:24 am

         Whoops – thanks, John – sorry Andy! I see a happy Mets headline & I think of John.

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4. 4
   Hartvig says:

   June 2, 2012 at 2:52 pm

   It really is amazin’ that a team that has played virtually all it’s home games in what were considered pitchers parks plus had Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan on the roster all at the same time plus the likes of David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Bret Saberhagen, Pedro Martinez, Frank Viola, Bob Ojeda, Jan Matlack, Sid Fernandez and various other quality pitchers all play for them at one time or another and to have not had this happen before. There has even been a no hitter thrown at Coors Field, for Pete’s sake.

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   • 6
     Andy says:

     June 2, 2012 at 3:53 pm

     That Jan Matlack was a very manly Jan.

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     • 8
       Hartvig says:

       June 2, 2012 at 4:05 pm

       O ja, he sure vas

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   • 11
     MikeD says:

     June 2, 2012 at 7:22 pm

     I think that goes to show how random no-hitters really are. The Mets had 26, CG, one-hitters in their history*, so just a little bit of luck and they could have had a few. That’s why I jokingly said last night that the Mets will probably now toss two more no-hitters this year, or even this week!

     * Any way to determine if that’s a high number, low number or normal number for a franchise that’s been around for 50 years?

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5. 5
   Voomo Zanzibar says:

   June 2, 2012 at 3:37 pm

   1962. Al Jackson.

   Jackson threw 4 shutouts that year.
   His record for the season: 8-20

   (2nd in losses, 3rd in shutouts.)
   __________

   He also went 8-20 in 1965, with 3 shutouts.

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   • 9
     Hartvig says:

     June 2, 2012 at 4:11 pm

     Poor Al. He finally gets out of New York to play for a team with a winning record that would go on to win the World Series the following year, puts up an ERA+ of 144 in 232 innings and he still can’t buy a winning record.

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6. 12
   Neil L. says:

   June 2, 2012 at 7:39 pm

   Wow, a very nice blog, Andy.

   For an “expansion” franchise, were the Mets blessed with better than average pitching from the start?

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7. 13
   Shping says:

   June 2, 2012 at 8:38 pm

   Not the first year, in 1962. Roger Craig was there, but didnt know the split-finger yet, and he and rest of staff yielded 948 runs! (but “only” 801 earned)

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8. 14
   MikeD says:

   June 2, 2012 at 9:04 pm

   I had never heard of Rob Gardner either, but looking at his minor league record and the start to his MLB career, it’s an example of how young pitchers were treated differently back then. As an 18-year-old, he pithed more than 240 innings in his first season of minor league ball, a number he’d never reach again during his career on any level. Then he gets called up to the majors late in the season, and as a 20-year-old is asked to pitch a 15-inning game, despite starting only eleven games in the minors that year, having been used more out of the pen.

   I don’t know if he suffered any arm damage from his early usage patterns, but we’d never see either of those things happen today.

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9. 16
   koma says:

   June 4, 2012 at 6:19 am

   @Andy

   “5. Santana’s previous low for hits in a complete game was 3, done 3 times:”

   only for the Mets;-)

   “I wonder what the record is among guys who’ve thrown a no-hitter for highest number of hits allowed in their next-lowest complete game? Santana’s got to be up there.”

   There where 6 players with their only career complete game being a no-hitter

   Bobo Hollowman, Bud Smith, Devern Hansack, Francisco Liriano, Jonathan Sánchez
   and of course Philip Humber with his perfect game as his only complete game.

   And then there are 4 players with no-hitters, who have next-best-games with 4 hits

   Bill McCahan, Clyde Shoun, George Culver
   and Dallas Braden, who therefore should be the leader in the category “worst next-best-game for a perfect pitcher”

   but the winner in the category “worst next-best-game for a no-hitter pitcher” is:

   Mike Warren, who has 3 complete games in his career with 0, 5 and 7 hits.

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