SAN FRANCISCO — Johan Santana was awakening in Spain final month when he discovered he not stood alone in Mets historical past.
Eradicating the “silent” mode from his cellphone, messages got here at Santana quick and livid, some with clips of the earlier evening’s sport at Citi Discipline.
“Unexpectedly I see highlights, highlights, what’s happening right here?” Santana mentioned Tuesday in a cellphone dialog.
These highlights confirmed 5 Mets pitchers combining on a no-hitter towards the Phillies. Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz accomplished a feat that had been completed solely as soon as in workforce historical past, virtually a decade earlier by Santana.
As Santana prepares for a return to Citi Discipline subsequent week, to rejoice the tenth anniversary of his June 1, 2012, no-hitter towards the Cardinals, he’s able to tip his cap to the brand new Mets who've joined him in franchise lore.
Santana recalled saying on a Zoom name in March to advertise the anniversary celebration that he thought the Mets would quickly have one other no-hitter.
“I believed [Jacob] deGrom or [Max] Scherzer would do it,” Santana mentioned. “I believed if somebody might, it was deGrom, however to have it as mixed … it’s not straightforward to do.
“It’s powerful to realize one thing like that. It’s well-deserved — meaning one thing went proper, however trying into the long run, that could be a factor, one thing you see extra typically. Baseball has modified and that's the manner it goes and that's the manner they method the sport now, so I gained’t be shocked in the event you see extra mixed no-hitters sooner or later.”
The Mets will rejoice Santana’s no-hitter on Tuesday as an alternative of the particular June 1 anniversary due to logistics. Relatively than holding the ceremony earlier than a getaway day sport that fewer followers are prone to attend, the Mets opted for Tuesday evening.
Santana personally invited Terry Collins to the occasion due to the reverence he holds for the previous Mets supervisor. Collins confronted the gut-wrenching determination of whether or not to let Santana pursue the no-hitter solely two months into his return from shoulder surgical procedure. Santana threw 134 pitches in finishing the gem, however his time with the Mets was quick thereafter; he incurred additional shoulder issues that ended his profession.
“Terry is a buddy, and going again in time when all the things occurred he thought it was all his fault, due to my shoulder, but it surely’s not,” Santana mentioned. “That is baseball and that's how baseball is and the way sports activities are: You will have surgical procedures, you're going to get accidents and to have Terry, it’s at all times good, it’s nice as a result of he's a part of what we did and he’s an awesome individual. Not only a supervisor, however an individual. Not simply to me however the entire workforce and I actually respect that.”
Santana mentioned he’s received no regrets in regards to the evening.
“I had a chance to do one thing very particular and to realize one thing that I had by no means carried out earlier than,” he mentioned. “As much as that time it was not carried out for the workforce, so I had a chance to do one thing very particular and I don’t remorse something I did on the sector. I simply occurred to have a chance to do one thing particular and we went for it.”
The previous pitcher hasn’t returned to Citi Discipline since his final pitching look for the workforce and mentioned he wish to stay concerned within the Mets household. Santana can also be scheduled to seem at Previous-Timers’ Day on Aug. 27.
“To be acknowledged now after so a few years, it’s very particular,” Santana mentioned. “Will probably be my first time in New York after so a few years. I by no means had an opportunity to return. Now I've a chance to return and it means rather a lot.”
Post a Comment