It’s been 10 years since Johan Santana finished what was the first, and still the only, no-hitter in Mets franchise history, and the team plans to honor the anniversary this year.
The Mets announced Monday that on Tuesday, May 31, the team will host a pregame ceremony prior to their game against the Nationals to honor Santana and catcher Josh Thole, the battery that night for the Mets’ 8-0 win over the Cardinals on June 1, 2012, that ended a 50-year no-no drought in Queens.
Both the lefty and Thole, who spent parts of four seasons with the Mets and finished his career at the Yankees’ Alternate Site in 2020, will also be part of Old-Timers’ Day on August 27.
"I still remember how I felt that night," Santana said in a news release from the team. "I knew how much it meant to New York Mets fans. I was very proud to be a part of the first no-hitter and I can’t wait to celebrate with the fans on May 31. It holds a special place in my heart. I was in a zone with Josh all night. I remember I was holding my breath before (Mike) Baxter’s catch. It was amazing. He really saved me."
Santana’s no-no was the crowning achievement in an MLB career that began in Minnesota as a Rule 5 pick in 2000, saw him win two AL Cy Young Awards with the Twins before coming to Queens in 2008, and saw him earn back-to-back NL All-Star nods in 2008 and 2009.
Shoulder injuries, including a capsule tear that cost him all of 2011 and a re-tear in 2013 that basically ended his career – plagued Johan around that 2012 season (his last in MLB), but in the midst of a campaign where he posted a 4.85 ERA in 117 innings, his 10th and 11th starts were a master class.
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Five days after recording a “Maddux” against San Diego (complete game shutout on less than 100 pitches, 96 in this case), Santana threw 134 pitches and allowed five walks, but did not allow a hit against the Cards in making Mets history.
Two moments from that game will forever stick out, though: the foul ball that maybe wasn’t off the bat of former Met Carlos Beltran, and Mike Baxter’s running catch on Yadier Molina’s drive in the seventh – a catch that came with a price, as Baxter ran full speed into the wall and had to leave the game.
Now, 10 years after his magnum opus, and seven years after his career ended, Santana will be honored by the team, and perhaps the Mets will get some weird serendipity on May 31: if Max Scherzer is lined up to pitch, their starter will be, as of the 2022 season, the most recent no-no involving the Mets, achieving the feat against the Amazins while he was with the Nationals on October 3, 2015.
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