New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard had a rare feat during a 1-0 victory Thursday over the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. For the 10th time in MLB history, a pitcher homered in a game where he also pitched a complete game 1-0 victory. The last time this feat was accomplished was in 1983 when Bob Welch was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The opponent ironically was the Reds.
Do it all! For just the 10th time in @MLB history a pitcher homered in a 1-0 game while also throwing a complete game shutout, per @EliasSports. #CarryTheFreight pic.twitter.com/AjpOI6R9IZ
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 3, 2019
Noah Syndergaard Dominant in Historic Outing
The Noah Experience
This is the type of dominant performance the Mets expect from a pitcher the caliber of Syndergaard. Despite hitting the home run, Syndergaard scattered four hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters and needing only 104 pitches to defeat the Reds. Performances like this are one of the reasons why Noah Syndergaard is one of the 2019 National League Cy Young Candidates.
The Met Effect
The Mets bullpen was tired and short-handed and needed Syndergaard to give them length on this day. So a seemingly easy complete game was the best possible solution. Jeurys Familia was just placed on the injured list. Meanwhile, ace closer Edwin Diaz pitched in two of the last three games and the Mets would have loved to give him a complete day off. It also was the first time this season where the Mets two best arms pitched back-to-back dominant games. The day before, Jacob deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings in an eventual 1-0 Reds win.
Game Sidebar
This game also had some entertainment. Jesse Winker who the night before caught the final out and waved bye-bye to the Mets fans sitting alongside the left field line got bit by karma the very next day. Winker, along with Reds manager David Bell, was ejected in the top of the ninth inning for arguing a called strike. The Mets fans returned the gesture as an angry Winker left the field. This was the only time the Reds play in New York this season.
On Wednesday, Jesse Winker trolled Mets fans with his game-clinching catch.
On Thursday, they returned the favor when he got tossed 👋 pic.twitter.com/VjrYkcIwDS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 2, 2019
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
