Any chance Johan Santana can pitch on no days' rest?
Desperate to stay in the playoff race, the New York Mets brought back their ace early and he delivered, pitching a three-hitter that led them over the Florida Marlins 2-0 on a rainy Saturday.
With the crowd standing and chanting his name, Santana (16-7) assured the Mets will play at least one more meaningful game at Shea Stadium. The win was just the third in eight games for New York and put aside — for a day, anyway — thoughts of another huge collapse.
The Mets began the day one game behind Milwaukee in the NL wild-card race and two games in back of Philadelphia in the NL East. Both the Brewers and Phillies played later in the afternoon.
Earlier, Mets manager Jerry Manuel was asked whether his postgame plans involved sticking around the clubhouse to watch his rivals on TV.
If ... he started, quickly amending to, when we win, I'll just get dressed and go home.
Only once before had Santana pitched on three days' rest, and that was in the 2004 AL playoffs. He needed a career-high 125 pitches in his last outing, and he threw 117 in keeping the Mets' shaky relievers in the bullpen.
Santana had asked Manuel to pitch this game, and everyone at Shea knew what was at stake. After last year's monumental fold, a loss here might've doomed the Mets to a similar fate.
Manuel's revamped lineup produced a run in the first inning, and that turned out to be all Santana required in his sixth career shutout. The NL ERA leader improved to 9-0 in 17 starts since late June, striking out nine and walking three.
The Marlins left the bases loaded in the fifth and threatened again in the ninth, but Cody Ross flied out to the warning track in left with a runner on to end it. Santana received hearty congratulations on the mound, and waved his cap to the crowd as he walked off.
The win meant Oliver Perez gets his chance to pitch on three days' rest Sunday. The last time he did it, the Mets lefty tossed a real gem — six sharp innings in Game 7 of the 2006 NL championship series against St. Louis.
Now, there's a chance that Sunday's farewell-to-Shea ceremony with Willie Mays and other former Mets won't necessarily be a somber one.
Santana, acquired in an offseason trade with Minnesota to win big games, clearly had plenty of energy.
Santana threw a ball far over catcher Ramon Castro's head while playing long toss in the outfield before the game. He also was strong at the end, briskly trotting to the mound for the final inning.
Ricky Nolasco (15-8) nearly matched Santana, striking out 10 in seven innings.
Carlos Delgado, batting third for the first time this season, hit a sacrifice fly in the first. The inning included a single by David Wright, hitting cleanup for the first time this year.
Ramon Martinez, a late-season bonus for the Mets, hit an RBI double in the fourth.
Fans were misty-eyed for most of the afternoon, yet it had nothing to do with sentiment. Light rain delayed the start for 35 minutes, and intermittent drizzle began in the early innings.
Marlins rookies were also going to dress up, courtesy for the Florida veterans. As part of a prank, the young players were being made to wear brightly colored outfits festooned with oversized bananas and limes for a night out to Times Square.
It was a fruitful day for the Mets, too.
Notes:@ Josh Willingham's streak of homering in four straight games ended for the Marlins. ... Scott Olsen (8-11) starts Sunday for Florida. ... The Mets have scored 139 runs in the first inning. ... Santana is 5-0 lifetime against the Marlins. ... Santana shattered his bat on a grounder up the middle in the fourth. No lucky hit this time, though, as the ball missed the cracked barrel.