Bryce Harper, the reigning National League MVP, has been impressed by Mets fill-in starter Tylor Megill.
Megill’s five innings in the combined no-hitter thrown Friday night by five Mets pitchers boosted his scoreless string against the Phillies to 10 ¹/₃ innings over two starts this season.
“I think he’s really good,” Harper said after the game. “He’s got some really good stuff. He’s got really good length on his heater. It’s like you’re on it, and then you’re not. He does a great job of pitching.
“He pitches to his strengths, heater up, slider, change. I thought all around they threw the ball well tonight, and sometimes when that happens, things go right and, ya know, no hits.”
Megill combined with Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz for the second no-hitter in Mets history, nearly 10 years after Johan Santana’s gem in 2012.
It marked the 20th no-hitter tossed against the Phillies in their history, and the first since Josh Beckett for the Dodgers in 2014.
“We’ve got two more games here,” Harper said. “We just didn’t get it done. So sometimes that’s going to happen, sometimes your lineup just doesn’t show up, and we didn’t show up today and that can’t happen of course. So we need to go out there and do our job tomorrow and Sunday, as well.”
Kyle Schwarber drew three of the six walks issued by Mets pitchers, but Diaz whiffed Harper, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto in the ninth to seal the historic night for the Mets.
“Forget it. That’s the best way to bounce back,” Castellanos said after the game. “What are you going to learn from getting no-hit? You just forget it. Short-term memory. Have a good dinner, enjoy the night in New York City, and get ready to play [Saturday]. … Wash it down and get ready to get back into a series.”
With the Yankees during his playing career, Phillies manager Joe Girardi caught a no-hitter by Dwight Gooden in 1996 and a perfect game by David Cone in 1999. He also was the manager of the Marlins when Anibal Sanchez tossed a no-no in 2006.
“The great thing is it only counts as one loss, right?” Girardi said after the game. “It’s a big deal. I’ve been involved with them — I think always on the other side, though. I don’t know if I’ve ever managed a game where we’ve been no-hit.
“But I’ve seen a lot of them. It’s a real exciting time at the moment, but it’s still one game. … [Saturday] is a new day.”