IL Syracuse Mets

Mike Vasil Takes No-Hitter into the Ninth as Syracuse Downs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 3-0, on Tuesday

August 8, 2023 - International League (IL)
Syracuse Mets News Release


New York Mets' Mike Vasil on the mound
New York Mets' Mike Vasil on the mound
(Syracuse Mets, Credit: Rick Nelson)

Moosic, PA - The future of the New York Mets starting rotation was on full display at PNC Field just outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. Mike Vasil was utterly brilliant, taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning as the Mets took down the RailRiders by a 3-0 final on a cloudy Tuesday night. Syracuse has now won five out of the first seven games that it has played at the RailRiders so far during the 2023 season.

After a quiet start offensively, Syracuse (45-62, 12-21) got on the board right away in the top of the fourth. On the first pitch of the frame, Ronny Mauricio smacked an opposite-field homer to spur the Mets to a 1-0 lead. Mauricio has made a living playing at PNC Field so far this season. In seven games at the RailRiders, the 22-year-old now has four home runs and seven total extra-base hits.

In the fifth, the Mets added a little insurance when Joe Suozzi singled to start the inning, moved to second on a passed ball, advanced up to third on a Tim Locastro infield single, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Wyatt Young to make it a 2-0 ballgame.

Suozzi did it again in the sixth, driving in Carlos Cortes with an RBI single to make it a 3-0 game. Suozzi, the lifelong Mets fan from Long Island, has impressed since being called up from Double-A Binghamton last week. Including his two hits and a walk on Tuesday night, Suozzi is 6-for-13 with six runs driven in.

From there, it was Mike Vasil's time to shine. The 23-year-old right-hander put together his best start in Triple-A, taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning on 92 total pitches in the first eight innings. Vasil walked just two and struck out seven in the first eight innings, mixing his pitches beautifully to keep Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (50-56, 16-16) batters off balance all night long. Utilizing a well-balanced fastball in the mid-90s, a sharp slider, and a changeup that looks like a sinker, Vasil struck out multiple batters in three different innings. Most impressively, Vasil used his curveball to great success, a pitch he had not shown much of in his initial outings in Triple-A.

Vasil and the Mets took their no-hitter and 3-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, hoping for a little history on this Tuesday night just outside of Scranton. However, it wasn't to be. The first batter of the frame, Brandon Lockridge, grounded a sharp single up the middle and into center field to break up the no-hitter and end Mike Vasil's night. It was the longest start of Vasil's professional career. He had previously pitched eight innings of one-run ball for Binghamton back on May 11th earlier this season.

From there, Mets reliever Sam Coonrod came out of the bullpen to retire the next three batters, earn the save, and give the Mets their second consecutive win. Syracuse also won on Sunday afternoon, a 10-inning contest against the Worcester Red Sox. The season series between the Mets and RailRiders is also now tied at six games apiece.

Syracuse continues its six-game road trip this week at the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The second game of the series is slated for a 6:35 p.m. start time on Wednesday evening.

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Images from this story

New York Mets' Mike Vasil on the mound
New York Mets' Mike Vasil on the mound
(Rick Nelson)		   



International League Stories from August 8, 2023


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