ROBBED!Carlos Beltran appeared to have the first hit against Johan Santana in the sixth inning when his shot down the third base line (inset) kicked up chalk, but it was called foul by third base umpire Adrian Johnson. (Getty Images; SNY(inset))
The umpire blew it, but the call and the no-hitter will stand. Maybe because of last night’s call by third base umpire Adrian Johnson, there will be new calls for expanded replay.
Carlos Beltran appeared to get the only Cardinals hit in Johan Santana’s no-hitter last night, an 8-0 win for the Mets at Citi Field, the first no-hitter in Mets history, but Johnson ruled Beltran’s blistering line shot over third that hit the chalk line in the sixth inning a foul ball. Beltran then grounded out to third base and Santana went on to get his no-hitter.
In some ways, it was the opposite of umpire Jim Joyce’s imperfect call that cost Detroit’s Armando Galarraga a perfect game in June 2010.
Said Beltran of last night’s call: “When things aren’t meant to happen, what you can do? I thought it was a fair ball but at the end of the day, one hit wasn’t going to make any difference in the ballgame. We had to score runs and we didn’t. The way I saw it, the ball was over the bag and the replay showed it landed on the line.’’
That would have made it a hit, possibly a double, and Santana would have lost his no-hitter.
Johnson defended his call, telling a pool reporter, “I saw the ball hitting outside the line just foul.’’ Told that the replay told a different story, the umpire said, “Yeah, I saw the replay.’’
Asked about the replay, Johnson said, “No comment.’’
There really was nothing to say, he blew the call.
“It’s a shame,’’ Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Johnson’s ruling, but said of the no-hitter, “It’s not like there is going to be an asterisk by it. That’s the way the game goes sometimes, we are not going to sit here and keep crying about it, but we could tell at the time it was a hit. We all got jobs to do. That one didn’t work out for us when he missed it.’’
There could be an asterisk by it. After Joyce blew the call at first base in 2010, he told reporters: “It was the biggest call of my career and I kicked it, I just cost that kid a perfect game.’’
Because of this call, Santana and the Mets have their first no-hitter.
“It was a special night, everything came up perfect for Johan. What can I say? He’s a good pitcher, he’s a competitor, he’s a good man, also,’’ said Beltran. The night and the call went Santana’s way.
“There are times where one play makes a whole difference,’’ Santana admitted. “One call makes a whole difference. I just went with it.’’
Concluded Beltran: “Johan battled back after the shoulder injury and this year he has been the ace of that ballclub, this night should mean a lot for him. I’m not happy about [being no-hit] but at the same time, he’s a good man.’’
And a great pitcher, who got the benefit of a bad call.