Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) celebrates with Martin Maldonado and Alex Bregman (2) after a combined no-hitter against the New York Yankees after a baseball game, Saturday, June 25, 2022, in New York. The Houston Astros won 3-0. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
New York — Atlanta’s Max Fried and two relievers teamed for a no-hitter through 8 2/3 innings until New York’s J.D. Martinez homered to spoil the attempt, and the Braves won 4-1 on Saturday.
“It’s something pretty special, and something for a pitching staff to be proud of, especially when combined,” Braves Manager Brian Snitker said. “I hoped that the men could pull it off. It is challenging.”
Fried started with seven no-hit innings, and Joe Jimenez pitched around a pair of walks in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias retired the first two batters in the ninth. Martinez homered just over the wall in right field on the next pitch from Iglesias.
“Giving it up with a homer is better than an infield single,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said, smiling.
Centerfielder Michael Harris II, who earlier saved the gem by drifting back and catching Martinez’s deep fly against the wall in the seventh, expressed hope that the ball would hang in the air long enough for right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to make the catch.
“[In] that right-center gap, there is a little opening where it had a chance to maybe stay in or Ronnie could have went up and brought it back or something like that,” Harris explained. “But he landed it very well. Oh, yes, he did. He did his own thing.”
D’Arnaud said Jimenez informed him he had no idea the Braves were working on a no-hitter. Neither did Iglesias.
“I came back into the clubhouse, and they asked if I knew what was going on,” Iglesias said through an interpreter. “And the reality is, I didn’t.”
Iglesias walked Jeff McNeil and then up an infield single to Harrison Bader before retiring Brett Baty on a fly to center.
Martinez and Bader’s hits saved the Mets from going hitless for the eighth time in franchise history.
“We didn’t want to get no-hit,” Martinez explained. “But in that position, in that moment, I don’t know — I’m just thinking about my plan, my game, and what I’m trying to do in that at-bat and off Iglesias. “You can’t get caught up in all that.”
The Braves haven’t had a no-hitter since Kent Mercker’s gem against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994. The no-hitter drought is the majors’ fourth-longest.
“It was almost Max Fried and Joe Jimenez and my guy ‘Iggy,'” added Harris.
The united effort Saturday marked the fourth time since 2015 that the Braves dropped a no-hitter in the ninth inning.
“It’s a really hard task and feat,” Fried added. “I think it was an excellent overall team effort. “Defense was obviously excellent.”
Since 1994, the Braves have had the second-most victories and the second-lowest ERA in baseball, during which time Hall of Famers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz pitched for the team.
“With all the Hall of Famers running through and guys with electric stuff — they aren’t easy,” said Snitker, who has never seen a no-hitter.
Fried, who was born on January 18, 1994, 80 days before Mercker’s no-hitter, walked three and struck out five while throwing 109 pitches, one fewer than his career high. The left-hander retired the first eight batters he faced before walking Tomas Nido and Brandon Nimmo. He then retired 11 consecutive batters until walking Pete Alonso with one out in the sixth, prompting Martinez to fly out to Harris.
“Frankly, I was not very good with my command at all,” Fried stated. “I was just trying to keep us in the game as long as I possibly could.”
Orlando Arcia hit a two-run home run, while Harris had three hits, including an RBI single, for Atlanta.
In his first home start for the Mets, rookie right-hander Christian Scott (0-1) allowed three runs and struck out eight in six-plus innings.
