Noah Syndergaard went full Millhouse GIF on us.
Sure, there were other participants sprawled across the diamond Thursday at Citi Field, but instead of including them, the Mets’ flamethrower decided to take matters into his own capable hands. Sporting shoulder-length hair—a noticeable departure from the more subdued pony tail he tried out (and quickly abandoned) earlier this year—Syndergaard dispatched the Reds in thrilling fashion, silencing the visitors over nine shutout frames while also chipping in with a solo home run in a 1-0 Mets win.
They say if you want something done right, do it yourself. So rather than outsource the job to someone else, the long-haired Swiss Army knife decided he’d handle the offense too. The 26-year-old control freak only succeeded once in three trips to the plate Thursday but boy did he make his one hit count, sailing Tyler Mahle’s fourth-inning offering deep into the left-field seats, setting to rest 407 feet from home plate. Though not as offensively-inclined as fellow hurlers Madison Bumgarner or Zack Greinke, Syndergaard has certainly shown a knack for the long ball, already going deep twice this year (though his other homer warrants a giant asterisk) and six times over the course of his career. On Thursday, it happened to be the only offense New York needed. [[ad:athena]]
Syndergaard’s power display was impressive but it was his wizardry on the mound that carried New York to victory. Despite an arsenal of complete filth—a blistering high-90s fastball, an excuse-me changeup and a slider that’s illegal in some states (or at least it should be)—Syndergaard’s pitching exploits this year have been more miss than hit. The fifth-year fire-baller limped to a decidedly un-Thor-like 6.43 ERA across five April starts after making pointed comments about, among other hot topics, Jacob deGrom’s contract status (later resolved), the team’s problematic early-season schedule and, of course, the now infamous trip to Syracuse on the eve of Opening Day. Whether it was the rotten weather—an opening-month staple in Queens—or karma rearing its ugly head for being the baseball equivalent of Ebenezer Scrooge, Syndergaard looked nothing like the fastball-wielding menace we’d seen in years past … until Thursday.
After New York was on the losing end of a 1-0 heartbreaker Wednesday night—that game featured a dominant effort from reigning Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 Ks)—Thor turned the tables on Cincinnati with his best showing of the young season. The 6’6,” 240-pound ace pitched angry with 10 strikeouts—his most since September 2 of last year—and limited the Reds to four hits (all singles) while spinning 74 of his 104 pitches for strikes (71.2 percent). Syndergaard did botch a ground ball for his first error of 2019 but everything else he touched turn to gold on an afternoon that saw its two combatants combine for a mere eight hits.
When the year began, the prevailing belief was that the Mets, buoyed by the lethal duo of deGrom and Syndergaard, would once again be propped up by their dominant pitching. But instead, the offense has done the heavy lifting while New York’s starting staff has been a mild disappointment. Coming off one of the more remarkable statistical years in recent memory, deGrom followed up a record streak of 26 straight quality starts with a three-game losing skid. A two-week absence prompted by an elbow scare only added to the misery. Thor, of course, was no better, registering just one quality start in his first six outings. But the spell appears to be broken now as deGrom and Syndergaard have returned to their wicked ways, tormenting hitters to the tune of 16 shutout innings over the past two days.
Syndergaard and his golden locks delivered the goods against Cincy and now the right-hander occupies a rare space in big-league lore as just the seventh pitcher to throw a shutout while homering in a 1-0 victory. Thirty-six years had passed since the last occurrence, a feat masterminded by former Cy Young winner Bob Welch while pitching for the Dodgers in 1983.
As brilliant as he was in his nine-inning gem, the Reds would surely argue that Syndergaard received a huge assist from home-plate umpire Marty Foster, who called Thursday’s game like the 7-train was about to stop running. Foster’s strike zone was exceedingly generous and often flat-out wrong as Umpire Auditor estimated he whiffed on over 25 percent of his calls in the matinee. The Reds took exception to the wide strike zone, particularly Jesse Winker, who was rung up along with manager David Bell in the ninth inning after contesting a called strike. Winker received no sympathy from the Citi Field faithful, who the outfielder mocked by waving to the crowd after wins on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Yasiel Puig, who hasn’t accomplished much this year outside of fighting an entire team, was similarly baffled by Foster’s loose strike zone, erupting after his called strike three put a bow on the Mets’ win. Clearly heated over his recent struggles, Puig seems to be teetering on the edge, as he showed Wednesday by ruthlessly snapping a bat over his leg. The L.A. transplant was hoping to make a splash upon his arrival in Cincinnati, but instead the frustrated 28-year-old has faltered to a dismal .178 average through 107 at-bats for his new employer.
After a tumultuous April, Syndergaard looks ready to shred again and according to him, the light bulb moment came not on a pitcher’s mound but in front of a bathroom mirror. Clean-shaven for the first time all season, the right-handed stud vowed to bag the beard until further notice. Cue the Gillette endorsement.
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AL Quick Hits: The league handed out its monthly hardware Thursday, awarding Tim Anderson (AL-leading .365 average, tied for MLB lead with 10 steals) AL Player of the Month for April. Tyler Glasnow (5-0, 1.75 ERA) took home AL Pitcher of the Month while Reliever of the Month honors went to Tigers closer Shane Greene (AL-leading 12 saves). Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (.296, 7 HR, 19 RBI) was the pick for AL Rookie of the Month. … Carlos Rodon was placed on the injured list Thursday with left elbow inflammation. There’s no timetable for his return and White Sox GM Rick Hahn said everything, including Tommy John surgery, is on the table for the left-hander. … The Red Sox aim to have Eduardo Nunez ready for the start of their series Monday at Baltimore. Nunez, who landed on the IL with a mid-back strain last month, has collected two hits including a home run over 11 rehab at-bats for Triple-A Pawtucket. … The Indians are expected to update Corey Kluber’s status on Friday. Kluber was struck by a line drive Wednesday night, resulting in a non-displaced ulna fracture in his right arm. He could be facing up to a three-month absence. … Angels manager Brad Ausmus expects Shohei Ohtani to return before May 17, meaning he’ll be back sometime during L.A.’s upcoming nine-game road trip. Ohtani, who is coming off offseason Tommy John surgery, has been competing in extended spring training games at the team’s facility in Arizona. … Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports the Yankees would consider signing Dallas Keuchel after next month’s MLB Draft. The former Cy Young winner is tied to draft-pick compensation, which could be a contributing factor in his frigid free-agent market. … Craig Gentry announced his retirement on Thursday. The 10-year vet totaled seven homers, 104 RBI and 94 steals across 602 major league appearances for the Rangers, Athletics, Angels and Orioles.
NL Quick Hits: Cody Bellinger was the easy choice for NL Player of the Month (.416, 10 HR, 29 RBI and four stolen bases in April) with Reds ace Luis Castillo (3-1, MLB-leading 1.45 ERA) winning Pitcher of the Month. Pete Alonso (Rookie of the Month) and Kirby Yates (Reliever of the Month) were the NL’s other April award winners. … Nick Senzel is expected to make his big-league debut for the Reds Friday against San Francisco. The former second overall pick got a late start this year after spraining his ankle during spring training. Rated as MLB.com’s No. 5 prospect, the former Tennessee Volunteer has hit .257 with one homer and two RBI over 13 games for Triple-A Louisville this season. … Braves manager Brian Snitker expects Josh Donaldson to be available against Miami this weekend. The former AL MVP hasn’t logged an at-bat since Monday while nursing a right calf injury. … Juan Soto was scratched for the second straight game Thursday against St. Louis. Fortunately for the Nats, his MRI came back clean. The 20-year-old is day-to-day with back spasms. … The Nationals made a change Thursday, firing pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, who had been with team since the start of 2018. Paul Menhart, Washington’s minor league pitching coordinator since 2015, will take over as the interim pitching coach in D.C. … Stephen Strasburg etched his name in the record books Thursday by becoming the fastest player to amass 1,500 career strikeouts, achieving the mark in just 1,272 1/3 innings. Chris Sale was the previous record holder, needing 1,290 innings to reach that milestone. … Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Trea Turner is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken index finger and could start swinging a bat as early as this week. Rookie Carter Kieboom has been filling in at shortstop for Washington. … Addison Russell was reinstated from his 40-game domestic violence suspension on Thursday, but he’ll have to wait a bit longer before he returns to Wrigley as the shortstop was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. With Russell in Des Moines, last year’s MVP runner-up Javier Baez will continue to serve as the Cubs’ everyday shortstop.
