As the denizens of Panic City fretted and cowered in fear upon the news that Steven Matz would be lost for a month of more, along comes the mighty Noah Syndergaard to save the day with a Herculean effort that left the Arizona Diamondbacks stunned, weak and helpless.
With a devastating arsenal at his command, Syndergaard treated the Flushing fateful to his best performance yet, a dazzling display that sizzled and electrified Citi Field like never before. It was a playoff atmosphere that had the crowd up on their feet and roaring with every leather-popping strikeout, and when Thor was finally done, he left the field to the sound of thunderous applause.
Syndergaard delivered a powerful performance, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out a career high 13 batters in the Mets 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday night. He becomes the first Mets pitcher to strike out 13 batters in one of his first 11 career games since Dwight Gooden struck out 14 batters on May 25, 1984 vs. Los Angeles
“He’s getting confident,” battery-mate Kevin Plawecki said afterward. “He knows his stuff can play here — and not only play here, but really dominate. He’s been doing tremendous. The more of these good starts he puts together, the confidence just keeps building.” (ESPN New York)
With his 8.0 innings of one-run ball, Syndergaard improved to 4-1 in six starts at Citi Field with a sparkling 1.74 ERA. He’s allowed just four extra-base hits in 41.1 innings at home, walking six and striking out 42.
“When you’ve got that kind of stuff, when you pound the strike zone, you’re going to get outs, a lot of strikes, and a lot of breaking balls for strikes,” Terry Collins said after the game.
What was most impressive about Syndergaard’s start was how he completely shutdown one of the best offenses in the league. The D’Backs were stymied and helpless as Syndergaard was in full command of his impressive four pitch arsenal; an electric fastball, a hammer curve, a devastating slider, and a changeup that made Paul Goldschmidt look silly twice.
The 22 year old rookie right-hander is pitching with all the poise of a seasoned veteran in his most recent outings. In his last three starts, Syndergaard is 2-0 and has allowed just three runs in 22.0 innings pitched for a 1.22 ERA, surrendering just 11 hits, walking four and striking out 24 batters.
I was happy to see Thor come out for the eighth inning, it’s the second consecutive start in which he’s gone that long, and it shows that he could go deep into a game and not lose a tick off his fastball or an ounce of his bulldog demeanor. That’s what a true ace does. And make no mistake, that’s what this kid has become – a true ace. Tip your hat to him.
