June was the month of the starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Not only was there a perfect game, but one team saw its first no-hitter in franchise history, plus a pair of one-hitters by the same soft-tossing pitcher. Not to be outdone, one batter accomplished something that hasn't been done in 81 years. Let's take a look back at the top five MLB stories of June.
Mariners' combined no-no -- How many Seattle Mariners does it take to throw a no-hitter? Six Seattle pitchers combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0, on June 9. Kevin Millwood, who pitched six innings, did most of the heavy lifting before leaving with an injury. It was the 10th combined no-no in MLB history and the first since 2003 when the Houston Astros did it to the New York Yankees.
Aaron Hill hits for the cycle -- twice! -- Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill hit for his second cycle of the month on June 29 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He also collected a single, double, triple and home run in the same game on June 18 against the Mariners. Hill became the first player since Babe Herman in 1931 to hit for a pair of cycles in the same season.
One-hit wonder R.A. Dickey -- On the strength of his dancing knuckle ball, New York Met R.A. Dickey threw back-to-back one-hitters in June, becoming the first National League pitcher to do so since 1944. Furthermore, Dickey tossed 44.2 straight innings without allowing an earned run during June, which is the second-longest streak of its kind in Mets history behind Dwight Gooden's 49 scoreless in 1985.
Matt Cain's perfect game -- Don't tell Cain that nobody's perfect. He fired the first perfect game in San Francisco Giants history and the 22nd in MLB history on June 14 against the Houston Astros. The Giants' young ace threw 125 pitches (the most ever in a perfect game) and had 14 strikeouts in his team's 10-0 win. Incredibly, Cain also has a one-hitter and two-hitter to his credit this season.
Johan Santana's no-hitter -- Santana, who missed all of last season recovering from shoulder surgery, tossed the first no-hitter in the 51-year history of the New York Mets on June 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals. In an eerie coincidence, the Mets scored eight runs on eight hits and Santana had eight strikeouts in the game, evoking memories of the late Gary Carter, who wore No. 8 during his famed career. Carter passed away earlier this year and is being honored by the team this season.
Adam Martini is a freelance sports writer who roots for the New York Mets (and any team that is playing the New York Yankees ). An avid fantasy baseball player and fan of Major League Baseball, his games of choice growing up were Strat-O-Matic and MicroLeague Baseball.
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