I can’t help but wonder: would this particular game on this particular night have come out differently if there were a $150 million payroll on the field? I mean, sure, we all hope these guys retire with a few rings with a Mets logo on them, but would a more experienced squad with higher-profile names have handled the game the same way they did? Would it have meant the same to that hypothetical team as it did to the one that fate actually placed there? I don’t mean to suggest that anyone in MLB intentionally loafs with a no-hitter on the line, but last night was the perfect environment for a plucky bunch that by necessity goes all-out every night and never quits.
Let’s be honest, Mike Baxter isn’t making “Carl Crawford money.” Chances are he won’t ever. Making a balls-out catch to save the first no-hitter in Mets history very well may be the moment for which he’s forever remembered. Even in the deepest recesses of his subconscious, he’s thinking, “Screw my shoulder, my head, or any other body part. This ball cannot hit the ground.”
via Third Coast Mets Fan: Our Team, Our Time: Reflections on the No-No.
