When Noah Syndergaard began his 2019 campaign, something looked ... different. His long, blonde hair that earned him the "Thor" moniker was still both long and blonde, but he had it in a pony tail in his very first start against the Washington Nationals in D.C. Here's a good look:
In his very next start, this time at home against the Nats, Syndergaard alternated between man bun and pony tail during the game (A+ journalism-ing right now. you're welcome):
Since those first two starts, Syndergaard has continued to alternate, a sign that he can't make up his damn mind. Baseball players are notorious for being both superstitious and being creatures of habit. After four strong years as one of the MLB's top flamethrowers, why on earth would Thor change up his long, flowing, intimidating look to the "do you want room for milk?" man bun Brooklyn barista look? An odd move, to say the least, and one that was proving to be detrimental to his pitching. Sure, you could argue he was just pitching badly, or you could blame the extreme makeover. Whatever it was, it wasn't working:
Yikes. As much as baseball players like to stick to routine, they also know when it's time to break routine to snap out of a slump. After three straight awful outings, the worst of which was his most recent one, Syndergaard may have realized it was time to go back to the look that was working. On Thursday at Citi Field, in a game the Mets needed to split their series with the Cincinnati Reds, THORRRRRR returned in a big way:
For the first time all year, Syndergaard let his hair down, and wouldn't you know it, he instantly morphed back into super-hero form. After pitching three scoreless innings, he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third and HAMMERED one to deep left center:
That's no lucky bloop over the wall by a pitcher, that is a freaking big-league homer, his second of the season. In peak Mets fashion, it was the only run they scored all game, and thanks to Syndergaard, it was enough to win. He pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 10 Reds batters, giving up just four hits and walking only one. Making it all the more impressive was the fact that the Mets bullpen was gassed (not that they would have helped), and Thor gave them a much-needed rest by going the distance. The guy is so back:
Sounds like Noah will be sticking with this look for the time being:
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