LOS ANGELES, CA– On a beautiful bright sunny day in LA, Noah Syndergaard took the mound at Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine to make his first start as a Dodger. His hair still flows from under his hat like a warrior who must journey throughout the kingdom, searching on his mission to protect the weak from the beasts that threatens them.
Syndergaard’s journey has been filled with amazing performances with the Mets in his youth, to trips to foreign lands. First to Anaheim California, 3000 miles from New York where being an Angel when you think you are a warrior just didn’t work. Then back 3000 miles to The “City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia. Again, not a place for a warrior.
So now he has traveled again 3000 miles to the west coast to play for the LA Dodgers, where he hopes to resurrect his career. The Mansfield, Texas native was not supposed to be the big part of the Mets trade with Toronto in December of 2012 for Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey but boy was he for the Mets.
Noah Syndergaard – Image Credit: Latino Sports
He has had numerous injuries in his seven years as a big league flame thrower. Including the dreaded “Tommy John” surgery and now he has to reinvent himself here in LA.
He is no longer the “Warrior God Thor” who could throw flaming 100 mph plus fastballs and impossible to hit high velocity sliders anymore but he has worked hard to become a real pitcher who can get outs.
The great pitching coach Billy Connors always told me, “Your job as a pitcher is to get your club off the field and at the plate. You need to just get outs, not throw a ball through a brick wall.” After seven big league seasons and the challenge of coming back from all of those injuries, he is looking forward to his new journey.
Billy Conners Pitching Guru – Image Credit: MLB/Latino Sports
Hopefully with the Dodgers he will find a place to call his own. Today he relied on 94 mph fastballs, 92 mph sinkers, 90 mph sliders and very good 87 mph drop and fade change-ups. His line was, six innings, one run, four hits, zero walks and six strikeouts. A far cry from his flame throwing years but it got the job done. He got his team off the field and at the plate.
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