The stakes were far less important on Thursday night, but the symmetry was unmistakable.
Fifty-seven years to the day that Hall of Famer Tom Seaver lost a chance at perfection with one out in the ninth inning, a group of Mets pitching prospects followed an eerily similar path.
Dakota Hawkins twirled six perfect frames and High-A Brooklyn came within one out of its first no-hitter in more than two years before settling for an 11-2 win over Wilmington at Maimonides Park.
In another twist of irony, Hawkins was the starter when the Cyclones spun their last no-no on June 4, 2024. The 26-year-old pitched the first five innings that night, contributing to the club’s first-ever nine-inning hitless affair.
Hawkins breezed through a talented Blue Rocks lineup that featured Top 100 prospects Eli Willits (WSH No. 1/MLB No. 3) and Ronny Cruz (WSH No. 4/MLB No. 78) atop the order. The right-hander got a number of quick outs while striking out five.
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Wilmington hit just three balls out of the infield against Hawkins, who went to a three-ball count twice and tossed 47 of his 62 pitches (75.8 percent) for strikes. The Washington State product has a 3.35 ERA in 19 games across three Minor League levels but has been especially effective as a starter, posting a 2.36 mark in seven starts for Brooklyn.
The Cyclones lost the perfecto in the seventh inning on a walk but right-handers Cristofer Gomez and Ryan Dollar delivered the club to the precipice with two hitless frames in relief.
Righty Juan Arnaud retired the first two batters in the ninth, but Cruz lofted a triple on a 2-1 pitch to end the bid.
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Seaver’s start nearly six decades ago certainly came with more pomp. Pitching in front of more than 50,000 fans at Shea Stadium against the first-place Cubs, the 311-game winner retired the first 25 batters he faced before Cubs rookie Jimmy Qualls lofted a liner into left-center field. Seaver settled for a one-hit shutout.
The man known as “The Franchise” carried no-hitters into the ninth two more times -- ultimately falling short -- before completing his first and only no-no on June 16, 1978 … for the Reds.
The Mets famously waited 8,019 games for the first no-hitter in franchise history before Johan Santana ended the drought on June 1, 2012.
But on a cloudy and misty night in Brooklyn, history managed to repeat itself in a truly appropriate way for a star-crossed organization. For a franchise whose relationship with no-hitters has always been anything but ordinary, a dominant performance by its next generation came with one final, familiar twist.