Alright. Maybe not "expected," but hell if I'm not going to steal some Tolkien to buttress the weight of this post, written after a few hours of day drinking at my lady's college reunion.
In their 51st season, after many close ones over the years, the Mets finally broke through with a no-hitter last night. Seaver couldn't do it. Gooden couldn't do it. Nolan Ryan couldn't do it. At least not while they were Mets.
But, in the wake of an injury that might have ended his career - or at least his career as a dominant ace - Johan Santana pitched a no no in front of the Flushing Faithful last night. Sure, he relied on some miracles along the way. Baxter's snag against the left field wall, causing a potential shoulder injury. That apparent blown call in the sixth, when Beltran's hit down the line was mercifully called foul. But such are the things - along with a manager willing to look past a dangerously high pitch count - that can get a guy the 27 outs necessary to finish one of these gems. And such are the things that stop the Mets no-hitter-less streak at 8019.
It's about fucking time.
For me, this is yet another reminder of why sports are beautiful and of why we watch, eager to see a miracle unfold before our eyes. If you were on Twitter last night, you saw me freak out at about 1:30 am...when I turned my phone on to find a slew of texts and tweets regarding the game, unseen until then due to reunion drinking and a low cell phone battery. The most historic game in the Mets' last 25 years (arguably) happened without my knowledge, and while my frustration at missing the party has largely subsided, it's that kind of unexpected game - a largely meaningless fixture that is suddenly transformed into something much more considerable - that keeps me intrigued by these teams of mine against my better judgment.
As I speak, Dickey's got a 3-0 lead in the 3rd, looking to push his record to 8-1 (!!!) and to push the team - the most exciting team in NYC right now - to seven games over 500. Monkey off our backs, it looks like this could be one fun summer.
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