Max Fried and two Atlanta Braves relievers came within one out of no-hitting the New York Mets during a 4-1 win on Saturday.
After Fried went seven innings and was pulled after 109 pitches, Joe Jiménez shut the Mets down in the eighth and closer Raisel Iglesias came in for the ninth to attempt to make history. He struck out Francisco Lindor and then got Pete Alonso to ground out to shortstop to put them one out away.
But on the first pitch to J.D. Martinez, the Mets’ designated hitter homered to right-center field to break up the no-hitter.
Martinez nearly broke up the no-no in the bottom of the seventh inning against Fried, but center fielder Michael Harris II ran it down on the warning track.
Harris II also chipped in offensively, going 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI after entering the game on an 0-for-29 skid.
Had the Braves pulled it off, it would have been the franchise’s 15th no-hitter and first since Kent Merker’s on April 8, 1994. It also would have ended MLB’s fourth-longest no-hitter drought.
The Braves falling short means that Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco still owns the only no-hitter this season, which he accomplished on April 1 during a 10-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
