Life is chock full of the "overdues." It took me five years instead of four to get an undergrad diploma. Martin Scorsese needed 25 years of masterfully crafted work before receiving his first Oscar. And we are still waiting for Jerry Seinfeld to produce something nearly as good as the epic nine season run his show had in the 1990s. But today the overdue of all overdues came through. Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in New York Metropolitan history since the franchise began in 1962.
A no hitter is special. There is no questioning that. But this one was different. A no hitter to a Met fan (which I am not) means so much more. It has taken 51 years. FIFTY-ONE! Imagine being a mouse stuck in a maze. Every time you venture out to find that succulent block of cheese you end up lost. Time and time again you try, and time and time again you fail. But you persist. 8019 times go by with no avail. No signs point to future success, and yet, each day you set out in search for the golden brick that has eluded you for so long. And finally, on that 8020th try, you triumph.
What's amazing to me is the vast number of exceptional pitchers that have come through the Mets organization over the past 8019 majestic-less games. Names like Leiter, Cone, Gooden, Glavine, Seaver, and Koosman have all taken the mound for the Mets, yet none ever threw a gem like Johan did tonight. In fact, the more the "no-no" eluded this franchise and it's fans, the more it seemed improbable. "You Gotta Believe" seemed to apply to everything but the idea of a no hitter. Tonight all that changed.
Johan's performance at Citi Field this evening elevated the already remarkable 2012 Mets season to another level entirely. This could be it. The spark. Each year it is something new that puts the team into a tail spin. Last year it was the Ike injury around the All Star break. The year before that it was Johan himself as he needed to go under the knife for season ending surgery. And prior to that it was the Madoff madness. No matter what the situation, the negatives prevailed. However now, the team is young, home-grown, and a no doubt contender one game out of first place in the NL East. David Wright is off to a MONSTER start, Johan is back to being Johan, and the team is getting exceptional contributions from Kirk Niewenhuis, Lucas Duda, and Daniel Murphy to round out the offense. (For those front runners out there who wont realize you are Met fans til October baseball rolls around, get to know this team. Like I said they are young, and I have a hunch Sandy is going to keep them around for a while.)
So congratulations all you Met fans out there. Its been a long time coming, but you finally got your cheese. You had your Ace on the hill, a call went your way on the Beltran hit down the third base line, and you got the quintessential "no-hit-bid game saving highlight catch" from Mike Baxter to round out an unforgettable night...
By the way, Dickey takes the hill tomorrow to vie for the Major League lead in wins. Buckle up for an exciting summer of New York baseball!!!
PS. Just read this cool stat on twitter. Johan had 8Ks and 8 walks. The Mets had 8 hits. Gary Carter wore the number 8. RIP.
~ Shilz
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