In the first ever meeting in New York between the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox, Matt Harvey was nearly perfect.
Harvey dazzled Tuesday night, baffling the White Sox for nine innings, giving up only one slow infield single by Alex Rios -- a ground ball that he barely beat out. Even though he lost the no-hitter, Harvey never lost his effectiveness. His pitch count was reasonable all night, he threw only 105 pitches, and struck out a career high 12 batters.
If the Mets offense had only gotten Harvey a run, and had first base umpire Mark Carlson called Rios out, Harvey would have made history. This is the second time this year the Mets ace has flirted with a no-hitter. He flirted with one in Minnesota against the Twins on a cool Saturday afternoon in the Twin Cities. He carried a no-no into the eighth before it was ended on a home run by Justin Morneau. The Mets still won 4-2.
Harvey didn't get the win on this night. The White Sox Hector Santiago, a Newark native, was equally effective, surrendering only four hits over seven innings of work. The Mets had a couple of chances early on in the first and second innings to scratch out some runs on Santiago, but he shut the Mets down when he had to.
The game went into extras, and it took a poke into right field by Mike Baxter to drive in Ike Davis with the winning run, but this night was really about the Mets ace.
This is the fifth start this year that Harvey has pitched at least seven innings. He has given up only 22 hits in 49.1 innings and seven earned runs. He ranks second in the league in ERA by a starter with a 1.28 ERA, and is one of the league leaders in strikeouts, behind only Texas flame-thrower Yu Darvish.
While the All-Star game is still two and half months away, Harvey is making a case to be the NL starter when the game is played in Citi Field this summer.
Harvey probably wanted that no-hitter badly, especially after coming so close last time in Minnesota. But the fans know that Harvey is eventually going to be the second Mets starter to throw a no-hitter; that day is coming, and coming fast.
With the 1-0 victory over Chicago, the Mets earned their first ever win against the White Sox. The Mets are 1-3 lifetime against the ChiSox. The last time these two teams played one another was in 2003 at Comiskey Park when the White Sox swept the Mets.
If they 2013 White Sox have some familiar faces to Mets fans, they do. Former Mets' third baseman Robin Ventura is the club's manager, while his old Mets teammate, utility man Joe McEwing in the third base coach. Santiago, who pitched on Tuesday, grew up a Mets' fan, while former Mets farmhands Matt Lindstrom and Jeff Keppinger now play for Chicago.
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