No No-Nos- Brian Berness

In 1981, I was 8 years old. In the middle of May, I had read in the Daily News that Len Barker had thrown a perfect game for the Indians against the Blue Jays. Five days earlier, Charlie Lea had thrown a no-hitter for the Expos. I asked my dad what a perfect game was- he told me simply, 27 batters came to the plate, and Barker retired all 27 without allowing anyone to reach base. A few months later, Nolan Ryan no-hit the Dodgers for his fifth career no-hitter. I became fascinated, this must not be such a big deal, 5 no-hitters? I then asked my father a direct question- which Mets have thrown no-hitters? The answer then, as it is today, 31 years later, is none… he then told me about the Tom Seaver game against the Cubs on July 9, 1969. And the name Jimmy Qualls entered my mental rolodex…;

As I continued watching the Mets through the 1980’s, I knew as a certainty it would happen- 12 teams not called the New York Mets with household names like Bob Forsch, Jack Morris, Mike Scott, and Dave Righetti and not such household names like Mike Warren, Juan Nieves, and Joe Cowley throwing them. We had Dwight Gooden, he would surely do it. (He would and I’ll get to that in a moment). I always gelt that Sid Fernandez on any given night could put together the unhittable type of stuff to do it. David Cone? Same thing. It was just a matter of one great and lucky day.

As the 80’s rolled on, Doc Gooden would throw a one-hitter in 1984, I still see Keith Moreland’s fifth inning bouncer to Ray Knight. If only it came a little faster. In June of 1988, Doc would go into the 8^th inning in a game against the Cubs again- he had already homered and the Mets had an 11-0 lead. Then Damon Freaking Berryhill lined a single to right to lead off the 8^th. So that day was shot too. He got his in New York… for the Yankees in May, 1996, a sacrilege only minimized by the David Cone heresy 3 years later.

Ron Darling would go into the 8^th inning himself on June 28, 1987 at Philadelphia. The Mets had a 4-0 lead. He was perfect by no means, walking 5, but in typical Mets fashion of the day, Hernandez and Kid homered and he seemed on his way. But lo and behold, Greg Gross, pinch hitter extraordinaire, led off the 8^th with a triple in the gap. Uncharacteristically, Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell couldn’t hold it, and the Mets would lose the game 5-4.

El Sid? I always felt deep down that he would be the one to get the Mets off the schneid. He was always capable of a dominant performance. He was also capable of the inconceivable, like striking out 16 and still losing a game on a home run by Lonnie Smith like he did in 1989. But on May 15, 1987, he was cruising. Through 5, he had struck out 7 and walked four and allowed no hits. When he made his first pitch to the immortal Mark Wasinger of the Giants, his left knee buckled under his considerable weight and he would then miss next month.

In August of 1988, I was at Shea when David Cone took the hill against the Padres. He pitched a one-hitter and the only hit was by Tony Gwynn who hit a ball down the line in the 4^th inning for a double. It was a grounder that I had seen Keith dive for and get 100 times but not that night. Mets win 6-0, Gregg Jefferies hits his first career homer, and well, it’s Tony Gwynn, what can you do? David would tease us again in September of 1991 when he went into the 8^th against St. Louis and Felix Jose doubled to end it. Early in 1992, against the Astros, he would go into the 8^th again when the immortal Benny Distefano broke it up. Not to fear, David would have a day of perfection- For the Yankees, in the Bronx, on Yogi Berra Day.

Between 1990 and 1991, 14 no-hitters would be thrown by pitchers on 8 additional teams (who had not thrown one since 1980)- so that’s 20 teams out of 26 to throw a no-hitter in 11 years. The Mets have to get one, right? Wrong….

During the 90s at different times, the Mets had Dwight Gooden, David Cone, Bret Saberhagen, Al Leiter, Kenny Rogers, and Hideo Nomo (We had Scott Erickson albeit briefly and forgettably in 2004). All have a no-hitter on their resume. Nomo had one both before and after his stint with the Mets. Generation K? No Dice.

In 1998, Rick Reed took Tampa into the 7^th inning before Wade Boggs doubled off the wall… painful, but it was Wade Boggs. In 1999, Octavio Dotel, then a starter, went into the 7^th at San Diego before Phil Nevin tagged him with a 3 run homer where in one fell swoop he lost the no-hitter, the shutout, and the lead. 2000 saw probably the best pitched Mets game in history when Bobby Jones would one-hit the Giants to clinch the NLDS. Steve Trachsel, who on his best days could be dominant and then baffle you with his inconsistencies, threw two one-hitters. Even Shawn Estes would go deep into the game against Milwaukee in 2002 and Glendon Rusch would one-hit the mighty Red Sox.

Next stop is 2004 where we have Tommy Glavine coasting against the Rockies and the immortal Kit Pellow hit a two out double off the wall in left. In the second to last game of the 2007 season. John Maine- another of the Sid Fernandez ilk- where I thought he could be the one, stopped the bleeding momentarily by going into the 8^th inning in a 13-0 rout of the Marlins and Paul Hoover hit a swinging bunt infield single to break things up.

Along the way, Jon Niese, Mike Pelfrey, Terry Leach, Aaron Heilmann, and others have thrown one-hitters for the Mets. Jon Matlack once threw a one-hitter where the opposing pitcher had the only hit. Tom Seaver saw his Mets chances broken up by Leron Lee and Joe Wallis in the 9^th aside from Jimmy Qualls.

Look- Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs? There is no shame in that. But Paul Hoover, Kit Pellow, Benny Distefano and Felix Jose? Those I have issues with, but that’s baseball and that’s the reason why Roger Clemens and Steve Carlton never threw one but Mike Warren and Kent Mercker did. It’s a crazy game. It’s like on the other side of the ledger that we have been no-hit by Sandy Koufax and Jim Bunning- fine, but Ed Halicki, Bob Moose. Darryl Kile and Bill Stoneman?

So we’ve gone at this writing 7974 games without a no-hitter. It will happen. It has to. And I hope it’s not one of those combined atrocities or one where the other team scores a run. Give me a clean 6-0 no-hitter. I don’t care who throws it. Maybe it’ll be Dillon Gee. Maybe it’ll be Zach Wheeler, but it will happen. And knowing the Mets, they’ll get one, and then two weeks later, get another one.

And it could be worse. On May 1, 1906, Johnny Lush of the Phillies threw a no-hitter at the Brooklyn Superbas, 6-0. Little did Philly fans know at the time that 58 years- 10 presidents would take office, two world wars, a great depression, a presidential assassination, and essentially the entire life of actor William Bendix would occur and 8,945 games would be played before they would have another one on June 21, 1964, by Jim Bunning at Shea against the Mets. It’ll happen, but maybe i’ll change my tune in late September of 2017 when we get to 8945. And I know I’ll be depressed if the Padres get one first.

Then again, we have hit for a few cycles, haven't we?