From the second inning until he actually got into the game, Noah Syndergaard was up and down and warming up for an eternity until his electrifying appearance in the seventh inning. He may have pitched a complete game in the bullpen before ever getting into the actual game. In the biggest spot of his career though, and in an unfamiliar position for himself, he thrived, he impressed, he sparkled.
“I got up four times. I think I did a pretty good job of asking the other relievers how to handle that kind of situation and they gave me some good advice and I was just able to keep the body warm and take it one pitch at a time out there,” Syndergaard said.
The Mets at the time were in desperate need for their young hard-throwing rookie to get them through the heart of the Dodgers order, and he mowed them down with ferocity and with the utmost command and precision.
Manager Terry Collins was hesitant and not sure that Thor would be able to pitch in relief, as he had never been in a position like this before. But a little guidance from pitching coach Dan Warthen led to Syndergaard’s entrance into the ball game.
“There was a point in the game where one of the things Dan said to me, ‘look, the middle of their lineup, we need to have somebody with power to get through that part,” Collins said.
“And I said, do you think the kid can handle it? And he said, ‘by all means’. So he talked me into it. We brought him in the 7th inning, and he was about as good as you can possibly ask for in that spot.”
In his inning, Syndergaard did what he does best, bring the heat. Typically throwing fastballs at 100 MPH, he was able to strike out the side, including Justin Turner, while walking one in the inning. He looked like a true veteran out there, calm, cool and composed in his first MLB relief appearance.
Collins pulled all the right strings last night, after being cautious earlier in the day of wanting to use Thor in a spot such as he did. This move though is exactly what this team needed to get them to Familia, who was brilliant in his first ever six-out save, as the Mets beat the Dodgers and advanced to the NLCS.
“There were definitely thoughts,” Syndergaard said, about possibly pitching a second inning. However, he added, “I had the utmost confidence in the managerial decision to bring in Familia. He’s the best closer in the game, and he did exactly what we thought he was going to do, and that is shut the door.”
A spectacular and impressive relief performance by Syndergaard, who continues to dazzle and leave fans with their mouths watering in anticipation of how much more dominating he will become as he gains more and more experience.
