Mets throw combined no-hitter vs. Phillies, started by Tylor Megill

NEW YORK — The crowd started buzzing when Edwin Diaz's entrance music came on.

Then the anticipation and cheers swelled with each passing strike.

Diaz deployed his devastating slider to make Mets history. He struck out Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto, sealing the team's first combined no-hitter in history in a 3-0 victory over the Phillies in front of 32,416 fans on Friday night at Citi Field.

"The most impressive part of our team is if it’s not one guy that’s going to get you, it’s another guy," said catcher James McCann, who was behind the plate for all 27 outs. "That’s kind of what you see up here tonight. Guys picking up each other coming out the ‘pen, throwing up more zeroes in multiple columns. That’s kind of been the identity of our team this early in the year. If it’s not one guy, it’s another guy."

In total, the Mets needed five pitchers and 159 pitches to achieve the franchise's second no-hitter and 17th combined in MLB history. They walked six batters in the historical feat.

It began with Tylor Megill, who worked through five hitless innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

Drew Smith came on in the sixth inning and struck out both Jean Segura and Rhys Hoskins. After walking Harper, he picked up his third strikeout of the inning against Nick Castellanos. He added one more strikeout of J.T. Realmuto in the top of the seventh.

Joely Rodriguez came on with one out in the seventh and walked Schwarber but induced an inning-ending double play from Alec Bohm in the next at-bat. He got one more out on a ground out to Francisco Lindor before Seth Lugo came on and got the final two outs of the eighth.

Diaz shut the door by overpowering the hear of the Phillies' lineup.

"I felt a little bit of pressure but I left that away because I want to make my pitches," Diaz said. "When I came in the ninth, I realized that I have a no-hitter but at the same time I’ve got to make pitches. I got into more pitching than knowing I got the no-hitter. I followed James because he called the game."

Megill is the third Mets pitcher to finish a start with at least five hitless innings, joining Johan Santana, who threw the franchise's lone no-hitter in 2012, and Sid Fernandez in 1987.

"It was exciting. It’s a team game and all of these guys that came in filled up the zone, did their jobs and just fearless, just attacking hitters," Megill said. "It’s the first one I’ve been a part of and I’m glad it’s with this group of guys. I’m just proud of these guys going in there and doing their job."

In the first four innings, Megill only gave up one walk to the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber. But Megill's pitch count swelled with a 26-pitch inning as several Phillies took their at-bats late into counts.

Brandon Nimmo aided the effort with a diving catch on a line-drive from Segura for the final out of the third.

"It looked close, but Nimmo’s a great outfielder and makes great reads and plays hard," Megill said. "Obviously when I see him dive and come in and make a play, I’m ecstatic. As a pitcher, you want your defense, they’re going hard for you so you get fired up for that."

Megill skirted through further trouble in the top of the fifth inning, walking both Schwarber and Didi Gregorius but striking out the other three batters in the inning. He closed out his outing with a three-pitch strikeout of Odubel Herrera.

It took Megill another 24 pitches to get through the frame and Buck Showalter made the decision to pull him at 88 pitches — Megill's second-longest outing of the season.

"I think it was more about the pressure of winning a game and being on top of your game against a very good hitting team, regardless of what the scoreboard said with hits," Showalter said. "That was fun to watch. It was about winning the game."

Showalter said that he planned on pitching Lugo and Rodriguez no matter the circumstance to get them work after sitting for four days. They helped bridge the gap to Diaz, working through the seventh and eighth.

"That was a lot. That’s a good team to be a part of a no-hitter," Rodriguez said. "That was super special for everyone because we enjoyed it after the game."

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Andrew Tredinnick is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: atredinnick@gannett.com Twitter: @andrew_tred

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets no-hitter vs. Phillies as team, led by Tylor Megill