Juan Soto Spoils Near No-Hitter with a Ninth-Inning Blast
You won’t believe how close we came to witnessing history at Citi Field. On Wednesday, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams was two outs away from throwing the franchise’s first no-hitter in 44 years — a drought dating all the way back to Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981. But then, with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Juan Soto stepped to the plate for the Mets… and changed everything.
Williams had been absolutely dominant up until that moment. Through 8 1/3 innings, he hadn't allowed a single hit. The Mets were being silenced — walk after walk, flyout after groundout. He even struck out Francisco Lindor to start the ninth inning. Then, on pitch number 117, a 1-0 fastball came in — 97 miles per hour — and Soto did what few can: crushed it. That ball was launched 420 feet to dead center. The no-hitter was gone. The shutout was gone. Just like that.
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The Citi Field crowd, despite the blow to their team, gave Williams a standing ovation when he was pulled shortly after reaching a season-high 126 pitches — the most thrown by any MLB pitcher this year. And even though the no-no was broken, the Guardians still came away with the win, 4-1, and completed a sweep of the Mets.
Let’s be clear — Williams was nothing short of spectacular. He allowed only one hit, struck out six, walked four, and gave up just that single run. He generated 13 ground-ball outs and looked in total control the entire way. He’s been sharp for months now, but this start felt like a true breakthrough, especially with his newer cutter proving tough for hitters — opponents are hitting under .200 against it since he added it back in May.
Offensively, Cleveland did their part early. David Fry hit a solo homer in the second, and Angel MartÃnez followed up with a two-run shot in the third. By the sixth, they tacked on one more — Gabriel Arias tripled to score Carlos Santana — giving Williams more than enough cushion.
As for the Mets, it was a frustrating afternoon. They had runners in scoring position only once, in the second inning, and came up empty. In the seventh, they nearly got their first hit when Mark Vientos popped one to right, but C.J. Kayfus made a full-extension diving grab to preserve the bid. For a moment, it felt like fate might be on Williams’ side.
But baseball, as always, has a way of keeping things unpredictable. Juan Soto, with one swing, reminded us that it’s never over ‘til it’s over.
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