New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard met with reporters after last night’s 3-1 loss to the Washington Nationals, and said that he doesn’t believe there’s anything wrong with his arm other than fatigue.
“My first full season in the big leagues. I’ve thrown a lot of pitches,” Syndergaard said. “I’ve thrown a lot of innings so far. I just think it boils down to just a little bit of fatigue. There’s no pain, there’s no discomfort in my elbow regarding the bone spur.”
“I was looking at the radar gun and seeing 93, 94, and I was like, ‘What?’ Pretty uncharacteristic of me.”
Syndergaard has the highest fastball velocity in the majors, and when his velocity dipped to 91 mph it raised alarms with catcher Rene Rivera and manager Terry Collins in the dugout.
“I took a peek at the velocity,” Rivera said. “That pitch was a fastball and the velocity wasn’t there. You just know it catching the ball. You can notice when you throw 99 and 91. You can tell right away.”
Collins said he wasn’t taking any chances and after a long discussion with Syndergaard on the mound he removed him from the game.
“He just said his arm went dead. It got tired on him and his stuff went away. ‘I just lost it.’ is what he told me.” Collins explained.
“It’s a pretty good assumption” Collins added when asked if this ends any chance Syndergaard will play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in San Diego.
“It’s disappointing, but hopefully there will be a lot more [All Star games] in the future,” Syndergaard said.
The team is going to have their young ace checked out by team doctors today as a precaution.
A recent MRI showed no structural damage in Syndergaard’s elbow although it did reveal a bone spur which the Mets called very minor.
Original Report
Noah Syndergaard was pulled from his start in the top of the fifth inning with “arm fatigue” the team announced, but added that it was “not elbow related.”
Gary Cohen and Ron Darling both said it sounded very vague, but at least the team feels comfortable that it’s not the elbow.
They both also said you can forget about Syndergaard pitching in the All Star Game on Tuesday.
Syndergaard’s last two pitches were a pair of 93 and 91 mph fastballs, and after he stepped off the mound in clear frustration, catcher Rene Rivera waved for the trainer Ray Ramirez to come out.
Seth Lugo came in to replace Syndergaard, who left the game after 4.2 innings. He allowed three earned runs on three hits including a home run, and walked a season high three batters while striking out five.
Syndergaard is pitching with a bone spur in his elbow, and as Gary Cohen pointed out in the broadcast, the Mets have said it was no big deal and he can pitch with it without risking further injury.
We’ll have more details after the game.
