R.A. Dickey still has a chance of throwing a no-hitter without actually stepping onto the mound.
The Mets announced they are appealing the lone hit given up by Dickey in a 9-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, where his knuckleball danced, dropped, pranced around home plate, and totally befuddled the Rays offense Wednesday night.
In the first inning, B.J. Upton hit a grounder to third base, but David Wright was unable to bare hand the ball, and the official scorer awarded the speedy outfielder with a hit.
There’s a possibility that the ruling could be overturned to an error on Wright, though that seems unlikely given Upton’s speed and the difficulty of the play.
Mets manager Terry Collins even admitted that the appeal was a long shot, but noted, it was worth trying to appeal the decision.
Dickey reportedly called the prospect of achieving a belated no-hitter a “Hail Mary.”
If by some miracle Major League Baseball overturns Wednesday night’s ruling, the Mets, who went 50 years without having a pitcher no-hit the opposition, would have two no-hitters in the same month.
Earlier this month, Johan Santana became the first pitcher in Mets history to accomplish such a feat, sending Mets fans into a frenzy for days.
Dickey was dominant on Wednesday, striking out 12 in his complete game victory. Just as impressive, the knuckleballer didn’t issue a walk all game.
