The legend of Thor

Mets rookie RHP Noah Syndergaard will become the third-youngest Mets player, next to Dwight Gooden and Gary Gentry, to start a World Series game when he tries to get the Mets out of an 0-2 hole in Game 3 on Friday at Citi Field.

“The amount of confidence that I’ve gained throughout this entire season and the journey has been an unbelievable experience,” said Syndergaard, who made his MLB debut in mid-May.

Terry Collins toyed with the idea of having him start Game 1 of the World Series. Instead, the 23-year-old rookie is charged with the task of getting the Mets back into the series.

No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win in the World Series.

“Obviously we didn’t plan this to happen, to be down 0-2,” Syndergaard said Thursday at Citi Field. “Coming back home is a big thing for us. … Part of the reason our team has had so much success this year is being to able handle the resiliency and come together as a team, overcome and win some ballgames.”

In three postseason appearances, including one inning in relief, Syndergaard is 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA.

The 6-foot-6 righty ranked third in the National League with 9.96 strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 140 regular-season innings pitched. His fastball ranks among the game’s best, averaging 96.5 mph, according to FanGraphs.

“That’s my main focus tomorrow night, being able to pitch to my strengths and being able to execute all my pitches, and just focus on winning one pitch at a time,” he said.

Matthew Cerrone
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Yesterday at Citi Field, during his talk with reporters, someone asked Noah if he had any pre-game rituals or superstitions. And with his down low, his eyes barley visible, and zero emotion, he said, “Superstitions are simple distractions that distract from the task at hand.” I love this. It speaks to his focus, as if to say, “I don’t have time for that nonsense, all I need is my arm.”

His former managers, teammates and scouts in the minor leagues all told me he had no fear coming up through the system. He was quiet and dominant, just doing his job. His Triple-A pitching coach said there is no reason to think that wouldn’t continue in the big leagues, despite the raised level of competition. Frank Viola was right, nothing has changed.

He’s not boring. He has a pretty good sense of humor and likes to joke around. He embraces the nickname “Thor,” which was given to him years ago by online fans. In fact, on Halloween, he once posted a picture of himself in a Thor costume. He’s even named his gloves “Thor,” “Lion,” “Drago” and “Heisenberg,” with the appropriate name stitched beneath the webbing.

However, when it comes to baseball, he isn’t messing around. Syndergaard comes off in this pressers like a robot, stoic, willing to talk, but uninterested in stories or narratives. He just wants to pitch. It’s reminiscent of Rocky IV’s Ivan Drago, which may be why he used  that name for a glove. If it’s game time, if it’s baseball, there is no flair. No dramatics. He barely pumps a fist when he gets a big strikeout. In other words, just give him the ball and let him get to work…

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