The play was decided, as happens often in potentially history-making performances, by the smallest of margins, a split second, the time it takes for one to clap a hand or blink an eye.

A ball hit against the Mets ace Matt Harvey by Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios with two outs in the seventh inning slowly rolled between shortstop and third base. Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada raced toward the ball, caught it backhanded, and delivered a Derek Jeter-like jump throw to first base. Rios crossed the bag in that split second before the ball arrived. Safe. On the scoreboard, a single vertical line appeared in Chicago’s hit column.

In that simple moment, Harvey had lost a perfect game, but in his chase of history, the growing tale of the Mets’ 24-year-old rookie starter gained another chapter. In nine dazzling innings, Harvey allowed that one hit while striking out 12 to lower his earned run average to 1.28. But he did not get a decision because the Mets did not score for him, but they did improve to 6-1 when he is on the mound.

The Mets eventually won, 1-0, at Citi Field when Mike Baxter’s single in the 10th inning drove in Ike Davis. But the night undoubtedly belonged to Harvey, as it seems to each time he takes the mound this season.