History in the making

Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in the history of the New York Mets tonight, as they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 8-0.

Santana was by no means perfect, walking five batters en route to the no-no, but he did do an excellent job of keeping a very potent Cardinals team off balance for the entire game. But as is the case with almost all no-hitters, Santana got some much needed help to get there.

The first assist came courtesy of third-base umpire Adrian Johnson, who incorrectly ruled that a line drive off the bat of Carlos Beltran was foul. Replays show that the ball did in fact hit the chalk down the left-field line, and it should have been ruled fair.

But perhaps equally crucial, was a spectacular running catch made by the Mets left fielder, Mike Baxter. On a shot hit to deep left-center, Baxter ran full speed into the wall, and still managed to hold onto the ball. After the play, he was replaced by Andres Torres.

It was the first career no-hitter for Johan Santana, who missed the entire 2011 season after getting surgery on his shoulder. Whether or not Santana can return to the form he once had remains to be seen, but he’s looked excellent so far this year.