Noah Syndergaard threw 100mph in his first spring start, then ran around shirtless
For most baseball players, spring training serves an important purpose. It allows them to shake off the rust of the offseason and get back into the routine that will sustain them for the grueling six month regular season. Players dust the cobwebs off of their competition-level swings and pitches and get ready for opening day, and beyond.
[Batter up: Join a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for free today]
But not Noah Syndergaard. The New York Mets’ personal Thor, the Norse god of pitching with a hammer for an arm, is ready for the regular season. And how do we know? He showed us on Monday when the Mets took on Justin Verlander (who looked pretty sharp himself) and the Houston Astros in a spring training start.
Noah Syndergaard's first three pitches of the spring were all 100 miles per hour. #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 26, 2018
Three pitches in and Syndergaard was already hurling triple-digit baseballs at opposing batters. The first guy to take on Syndergaard was George Springer, and he did *not* look ready for that first pitch. (Caution: Springer mouths an NSFW word in the gif below.)
George Springer's reaction to Noah Syndergaard's first pitch (100 mph). pic.twitter.com/m7O0ZFftrv
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2018
Syndergaard didn’t stop there. He kept showing off for the rest of his perfect two-inning outing.
Noah Syndergaard striking out Jose Altuve with 100mph, 101mph and a 91mph Changeup.
Welcome back Thor. #Mets pic.twitter.com/a3cMCANjSG
— Pitcher List (@PitcherList) February 26, 2018
Noah Syndergaard struck out two batters over two innings of a perfect spring debut. He threw 22 pitches. Eleven of them clocked in at 100 or 101 mph. #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 26, 2018
On its own, Syndergaard throwing over 100mph in his first spring training start is amazing. But Thor is coming back from an injury that stole most of his 2017 season. He partially tore his right lat muscle in April and didn’t pitch again until September. So seeing him look like his old self is fantastic for him and for the Mets, and pants-crappingly terrifying for the rest of the NL East.
For his part, Syndergaard treated this as business as usual. Mostly. After his two innings were up, he stripped his shirt off and began running sprints in the backfield. And then he gave postgame interviews without a shirt.
Noah Syndergaard requested to conduct his interview shirtless. He says he didn't even feel like he exerted himself today. #Mets pic.twitter.com/TQEOMyYIlQ
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 26, 2018
Shirtless Syndergaard on pumping 100 pic.twitter.com/1QW1DB7Cve
— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) February 26, 2018
Syndergaard practically yawned when he said he didn’t feel like he was exerting himself, like it’s the most regular and normal thing to throw 100mph in spring training after coming back from a serious injury. If this is him not fully exerting himself, every batter in baseball should shudder to think of how Syndergaard will be pitching once the regular season begins.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – –
Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
