Noah Syndergaard Strikes Out 10 In Mets’ 3-0 NL Wild Card Loss To Giants

Noah Syndergaard proved to the New York Mets once again on Wednesday night why he is such a valuable asset, delivering a strong outing despite taking a 3-0 home loss to the San Francisco Giants in a win-or-go-home National League Wild Card Game.

Noah Syndergaard Strikes Out 10 In Mets’ 3-0 NL Wild Card Loss To Giants

The 24-year-old right-hander pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking three and striking out 10.

Syndergaard didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth inning nor a hit until the sixth. The following statistic from Inside Edge shows just how impressive his performance was:

“He stepped up when we needed him,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of his pitcher, who is nicknamed ‘Thor’. “He stepped up last year when we needed him. He’s grown so much, even though he’s still very, very young. He’s grown so much and matured so much as a pitcher. He’s going to be really, really good.”

The Giants’ Madison Bumgarner lowered his career postseason ERA to 1.93 as he threw a four-hit shutout that included 119 pitches (78 strikes). Given that Bumgarner is considered one of the most successful postseason pitchers in MLB, Syndergaard’s performance seems even more outstanding. 

Syndergaard said he felt relaxed before the game, to his own surprise.

“I think the only thing that shocked me before the game was I was aware of how calm I was,” Thor said. “I thought the emotions would be a little juiced, but up until game time, I was pretty calm, and I was convincing myself it was the same game and not a [must-win] situation.”

With the loss, the Mets said farewell to a season in which they overcame great obstacles to reach the playoffs thanks to the unrelenting dominance of Syndergaard, who posted a 2.65 ERA following the All-Star break and led a rotation crippled by injuries.

“He rose to the occasion,” Collins said. “That’s why I think he’s going to be very special, because you can’t be a lot better [than Syndergaard was] when you’re challenged in these situations. He did a great job.”

The ace struck out five of the first eight batters he faced, and eight of the 20 fastballs he threw during the first two innings were clocked a 99 mph. His slider hit 93 mph a few times during those frames.

Syndergaard’s no-hit bid ended when Denard Span singled with two outs in the sixth inning. Span then stole second base, although he was stranded when Curtis Granderson crashed into the center-field wall after sprinting 102 feet to rob Brandon Belt of a go-ahead extra-base hit.

Conor Gillaspie hit a three-run homer in the ninth off closer Jeurys Familia to seal the victory for San Francisco.

Despite his strong outing, Syndergaard unsurprisingly took the loss very hard, and summed up the sport of baseball in a single heartbreaking tweet:

His teammates knew he did the best he could despite the loss.

“That was as well pitched a game as you could possibly ask for,” Mets right fielder Jay Bruce said. “He had everything going. It was really, really fun to watch. Obviously, we were on the losing end, and that’s not how we wanted to end the season, but that baseball game, that was a playoff game.”

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 05: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets pitches in the second inning during their National League Wild Card game against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on October 5, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)