The God of Thunder, Noah Syndergaard, brought it all to Tuesday’s 7-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Thor got it done with his hammer as well as his lightning fast pitches.
With the Mets down by a score of 1-0, entering the fifth inning. The Mighty Thor stepped to the plate and blasted a 415 foot bomb to put his team ahead by a score of 2-1. The team went on to score four runs in the inning as Syndergaard jolted the offense to life, finally solving Braden Shipley.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Syndergaard said. “I kind of watched it a little on that one.” (ESPN)
It certainly was an absolute monster shot to admire. The homer was his third of the season, most among MLB pitchers in the 2016 season. It also matched a franchise record for most homers by a pitcher in a season, which is currently shared by Tom Seaver and Walt Terrell.
Thor was tested at times as he navigated through 5.2 innings of work. He allowed seven hits on the night while giving up four runs, only two of which were earned. Syndergaard struck out eight D-backs while walking two. His effort was good enough to pick up that elusive 10th victory of his season.
“These past five days I’ve spent a lot of time on the mound in between starts trying to get back on track,” Syndergaard said. “… I felt like it was a step in the right direction.”
Syndergaard’s numbers on the season continue to look great. He finds himself with a 10-7 record with an ERA of 2.76 and a WHIP of 1.20. Pitch counts continue to be his enemy of going deep into games, something he has been attempting to work on.
Having Thor pitch to his best abilities is crucial at this juncture of the season. The Mets are fighting for their playoff lives at this point with just 6 1/2 weeks left in the regular season as they trail St. Louis by three games for the second Wild Card spot.
