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Major League Baseball denied the team's appeal of an official scoring decision during R.A. Dickey's one-hitter at Tampa Bay. The knuckleballer allowed only an infield single Wednesday night, and New York asked the commissioner's office to review the play and consider whether third baseman David Wright should have been charged with an error on B.J. Upton's hit.
The Mets said Friday the appeal was turned down, just as they expected.
"Just took a shot at it," manager Terry Collins said. "Thought R.A. deserved a shot. It was no slam at David."
Dickey did not ask the Mets to appeal, but said he appreciated the gesture.
"I'm fairly relieved that it ended up the way it did," said Dickey, explaining that there would have been "an asterisk by it bigger than the no-hitter itself."
The speedy Upton hit a high bouncer in the first inning that Wright was unable to field with his bare hand. The play was ruled a hit, and after the game Collins said the Mets would appeal.
MLB can overturn official scoring decisions if it believes a mistake was made.
A ruling in their favor could have given the Mets their second no-hitter in two weeks - albeit an awkward one - after going more than 50 seasons without one. Johan Santana held St. Louis hitless on June 1, the first no-hitter in the franchise's 51-year history.
"We took advantage of the process," Collins said. "You can do it, so we gave it a shot. We didn't win it. We didn't expect to win it. Just gave it a try. If we had won it, we've got another no-hitter. We don't have to wait another 50 years."
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