( CNN ) -- New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in the franchise 's history Friday night in an 8-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals . The Mets ' hometown crowd at Citi Field erupted after Santana rallied from a 3-0 count to strike out Cardinals third baseman David Freese to end the game , and later when he was asked about making Mets ' history . `` I 'm very happy , and happy for you guys -- finally the first one , '' he told fans in an interview with SNY , which was covering the game . Though he struck out eight batters , Santana was n't flawless , walking five in the course of tossing 134 pitches , only 77 for strikes , against the reigning World Series champions . And he got a few breaks -- including when the Cardinals ' Carlos Beltran smacked a shot that appeared to hit the left-field chalk but was ruled foul , and when teammate Mike Baxter made a spectacular catch in left field in the seventh inning , slamming the wall so hard that he had to leave the game with an injured shoulder . Santana 's feat was the third no-hitter of the 2012 Major League Baseball season , following the Chicago White Sox 's Philip Humber , who pitched a perfect game in April , and the Los Angeles Angels ' Jered Weaver last month . It is the first no-hitter by a National League pitcher since the Phillies ' Roy Halladay did it in the 2010 playoffs . The Mets have had their fair share of standout pitchers . Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver , for instance , played with the club and went on to throw no-hitters -- seven for Ryan and one for Seaver -- with other teams . Friday night 's game means that only the San Diego Padres have never had a pitcher get through nine innings without allowing a hit . Born in Venezuela , Santana won two Cy Young awards -- given to baseball 's best pitcher -- in 2004 and 2006 while with the Minnesota Twins . He came to the Mets in 2008 and had three solid seasons , but he underwent shoulder surgery , missed all of 2011 and came into 2012 as a question mark . Santana said Friday 's game was his first no-hitter on any level . `` I do n't even think I threw a no-hitter in video games , '' he told reporters . `` This was the first time I had the opportunity . ''
NEW : ` ` I do n't even think I threw a no - hitter in those games , '' Johan Santana says . The loss left the San Diego Padres as the only team without a no - hitter . ` ` I ' m very happy , and happy for you guys -- finally the first team , '' he says to Mets fans . Santana won two Cy Young Awards as a Minnesota Twin before coming to New York .