It couldn't have happened to a more appropriate team, I guess-the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets' most heated rivals two decades ago, were the victim Friday of Johan Santana's no-hitter, the first in franchise history. It was a major surprise from the Mets ace, who's struggled with injury for years now and came back in 2012 a much different pitcher than the one who arrived in New York after the 2007 season.
The Cardinals, for their part, managed five walks in the defeat-Yadier Molina and Matt Adams are the MVPs-by-default, going just 0-2 with theirs. Santana, having done what Tom Seaver, Doc Gooden, and Pedro Martinez before him couldn't, improves to 3-2 in what could be a very successful comeback with an ERA of 2.38.
He might not have the mid-90s fastball he flashed as a Rule 5 diamond-in-the-rough on the Minnesota Twins, but judging from Friday night the two-time AL Cy Young Award-winner must have learned something about playing the crafty lefty in his long layoff with shoulder trouble.