Will Anyone Remember This?

Friday night, Aaron Nola went on an historic roll in the first game of the Phillies doubleheader with the Mets. After putting the first two batters on in the bottom of the 1st inning, Nola began getting out of trouble by striking out Michael Conforto. He then got Pete Alonso and Dom Smith out, to snuff out the threat and end the inning.

Nola's mastery continued, as he struck the side in the 2nd and 3rd innings. Leading off the bottom of the 4th, he put up his 10th consecutive "K," tying the record set in April 1970 at Shea Stadium by Mets legend Tom Seaver. Ten consecutive strikouts.

But the story then began to change. Alonso snapped Nola's streak by doubling to right field. Nola, not being economical, left with one out in the 6th after reaching 99 pitches. Then in the 7th, the Phillies' inept bullpen let the lead -- and Nola's credit for the victory -- get away. An inning later, things got worse. Dominic Smith singled home Alonso for a Mets walk-off victory. 

Seaver's memorable afternoon played out as he struck out the final 10 batters of the game -- in a game the Mets won. Just months after their stunning World Series championship, it was another joyous moment for Mets fans to savor.

But there would be no such joy for Nola. Yes, he tied a record that stood for 51 years; and not only did he not get a W, his team lost. That streak of 10 straight strikeouts wasn't the fuel for a Philadelphia victory. Instead, it was an afternote for another disappointing loss.

So while Seaver shares the record, the statistic, the joy will only reside in Flushing. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Aaron Nola's achievement will be very hard for Phillies fans to enjoy.

Comments

Lois Simmons said…
It's deja vu for an opposing pitcher to tie or break a strikeout record and lose the game. In the heat of the 1969 pennant race when everything the Mets touched turned to gold, Steve Carlton set a record by striking out 19 Mets, including Ron Swoboda twice. But the other two at bats for Swoboda, he hit a pair of two run homers and the Mets won another game, 4-3. His second homer in the 8th inning turned defeat into victory. On this day, September 15, 1969, the Cubs lost to the expansion Expos, so the Mets increased their lead to 4½ games in the first year of the NL East and reduced their magic number to 11.
One difference between Carlton's performance and Nola's performance is that Carlton's game was played in St. Louis, not New York. Nine days later when the same two teams were playing at Shea, the Mets clinched their first title in their short and previously inept team history.
June 29, 2021 at 1:16 PM
Mike McCann said…
The problem is that until someone joins them or breaks the record, the results of the Seaver game and the Nola game will be compared.

Seaver lifted his team to victory with a splash -- as he so often did. Nola's teammates let him down and dulled the impact of a remarkable stretch of pitching.
June 29, 2021 at 2:41 PM
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