• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Maine comes within four outs of no-hitter

Sep 29, 2007 - 11:10 PM FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- In a month that the New York Mets so far would like to forget, John Maine came tantalizingly close to giving the franchise something to remember for a lifetime.

Maine came within four outs of the first no-hitter in the 46-year history of the franchise before Paul Hoover reached on an infield single as the Mets routed the Florida Marlins, 13-0, in a game that featured two benches-clearing incidents in the fifth inning.

"The timing was pretty good. We needed a win today," Maine said.

The Mets (88-73) won for just the fifth time in 16 games and moved into a tie for first place with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. The Phillies (88-73) lost to the Washington Nationals, 4-2, Saturday. Both the Mets and Phillies conclude their regular season on Sunday.

"We can control what we can control," third baseman David Wright said.

New York, which led the division by seven games on September 12, fell out of first place Friday for the first time in over four months and is trying to avoid one of the more monumental collapses in baseball history.

"In a game we had to have, John Maine stepped up big time for us," manager Willie Randolph said.

For at least an hour, the division race took a back seat to the 25-year-old Maine, who had the longest no-hit bid by a Met since Tom Glavine went 7 2/3 innings against Colorado on May 23, 2004.

Maine's bid ended when Hoover hit a ball that rolled up the third base line before Wright picked it up without throwing.

"What can you do? We still won the game so I'll take it," said Maine, who is no pressure to pitching in big games after winning Game Six of the NLCS last October against St. Lous.

Ironically, Hoover had entered the game for Miguel Olivo after the catcher was ejected for his role in the fifth inning melee.

"I don't know how far it went, but it apparently wasn't too far," Hoover said.

Maine walked two struck out 14, the most by a Met since Al Leiter fanned 15 against Chicago on August 1, 1999.

"You've just got to tip your cap to him," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Fourteen strikeouts? Was it that many?"

Maine struck out seven straight batters spanning the second and fourth innings, the first Met to fan seven in a row since Leiter against Arizona on August 23, 1998.

"I just went out with the same approach I always do," Maine said.

Once the no-hit bid was ended, Maine (15-10), who won for the first time in five starts, was lifted after throwing 115 pitches

Willie Collazzo recorded the final out of the eighth and Carlos Muniz pitched the ninth, finishing off the Mets' third one-hitter of the season. The other two were rain shortened.

The Marlins' lone base runner in the first six innings was Dan Uggla, who walked and was caught stealing as Jeremy Hermida struck out in the first.

Lastings Milledge hit a pair of home runs for the Mets, who banged out 19 hits and snapped an eight-game home losing streak.

"It's been a rough week. We have to come out and pound people," Milledge said.

Marlins starter Chris Seddon (0-2) was pounded for five runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado had back-to-back RBI singles in the first to make it 2-0.

Seddon was lifted with two outs in the second after allowing RBI singles to Luis Castillo and Beltran that increased the lead to 4-0. Russ Wolf relieved and promptly allowed an RBI single to Alou.

Milledge hit a two-run homer and Castillo had an RBI double in the third off Wulf to increase the lead to 8-0. Milledge recorded his first career multi-homer game when he connected off Harvey Garcia in the fifth.

Garcia appeared to take exception to an excessive home run celebration by Milledge when he threw pitch behind Castillo that went to the backstop. Castillo took a few steps toward the mound and both benches emptied before order was restored.

The problem escalated when the Marlins made a pitching change following a walk to Castillo. Catcher Miguel Olivo was at the pitcher's mound when he got into a shouting match with Jose Reyes, who was at third base.

"He went to the mound and said, 'do you want to fight?' I said 'yes,'" Reyes said.

Both benches emptied again as Reyes and Olivo engaged in a shoving match near third with Mets coach Sandy Alomar Sr. getting stuck in the middle. The melee spilled over toward the third base line, with Olivo the only individual ejected.

"We are good friends," Olivo said. "Maybe he got a little excited."

Ramon Castro hit a solo homer in the sixth for the Mets, who scored in every inning but the fourth