Noah Syndergaard immediately set the tone last night during the Mets 9-3 victory in Game 3 of the World Series. On the first pitch of the game, Syndergaard threw a fastball up and in to leadoff man Alcides Escobar, which sent a stern message to the Royals’ dugout.
While the Royals were furious about the pitch, Syndergaard fired back with an excellent response after the game.
“If they have a problem with me throwing inside, then they can meet me 60 feet, six inches away. I’ve got no problem with that.”
It was Syndergaard’s intent all along to pitch to Kansas City aggressively and the game plan certainly worked out. He pitched six gutsy innings and brought the Mets back to life in the series.
“Yeah, I mean my first words I said to Travis when we walked in the clubhouse today is, How do you feel about high and tight for the first pitch and then a curveball for the second one? So I feel like it really made a statement to start the game off, that you guys can’t dig in and get too aggressive because I’ll come in there.”
Despite allowing three runs in the first two innings, Syndergaard settled down and ended up pitching a great game. He struck out six batters and at one point retired a dozen straight Royals.
While his first pitch of the game might be the most memorable, it was his final pitch of the night that was the biggest pitch he made. He escaped a base loaded jam by getting Alex Rios to ground out to end the sixth inning and his outing with fist-pumping flair.
“I wasn’t thinking about the whole game being on the line when I was out there in that sixth inning,” Syndergaard explained. “I knew it was a key moment in the game. But I was able to just locate two good sliders on the outside corner and induce a ground ball and get out of that inning.”
It’s been incredible to watch Syndergaard’s emergence into a top flight pitcher during the postseason. He has the ability to overpower any lineup, and the best part is that he isn’t isn’t afraid to challenge the opposition with his explosive heat.
Thoughts from Joe D.
It’s remarkable that Syndergaard is the youngest starter in our rotation and yet he has all the confidence, instincts and poise of a 15 year veteran. That he’s only 23 and still developing and learning the leagues and their hitters should be a very scary proposition for the opposition.
The guts and guile he exhibited last night was so exciting to see. He took charge of the situation and turned that two-games-to-none-narrative on its head.
This young man stared into the abyss fearlessly, and in doing so he not only gave the team a much needed win, but he sent shockwaves through the Kansas City dugout and took away any momentum they had and transferred all of it to the Mets.
Syndergaard not only set the tone for the game last night, but he also set the stage for something much grander and everlasting – a potential 1986 type comeback and World Series championship.
