By Fitzgerald Cecilio

It took over 50 seasons and more than 8,000 games but Johan Santana finally delivered the first no-hitter in New York Mets history in an 8-0 blanking of the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night at Citi Field.

Santana was masterful in fanning eight batters while allowing five walks for his first no-hitter.

Santana tossed a career-high 134 pitches and got a few breaks along the way, including a tremendous Mike Baxter catch in the outfield in which he suffered an apparent shoulder injury.

Carlos Beltran also appeared to hit the chalk with a drive down the left field line but it was incorrectly ruled a foul ball for the ex-Met.

It was still no cheapie for the superb Santana, as the no-no came against the defending World Series champions and the top offense in the National League.

The normally light-hitting Mets displayed the fireworks Friday, with David Murphy collecting a pair of run scoring hits and Lucas Duda blasting a three-run homer in the sixth as New York pulled away.

The night belonged to Santana, however, as he erased a big blotch in the team's history book.

The San Diego Padres remain the only team without a no-hitter.

 

Johan Santana Tosses First No-Hitter in Mets History