Noah Syndergaard: Mets Pitcher’s Fastball Leaves Imprint of Necklace on Catcher’s Chest

Noah Syndergaard is 2–0 for the New York Mets with an ERA of 0.90 and an MLB-best 29 strikeouts. (Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

By Dave Martin

Dave Martin

Dave Martin is a New-York based writer as well as editor. He is the sports editor for the Epoch Times and is a consultant to private writers.

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April 19, 2016Updated: April 19, 2016

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Noah Syndergaard throws some serious heat. Just ask the necklace imprint on catcher Kevin Plawecki’s chest.

Plawecki tweeted a picture of his scarred-looking chest after catching the Mets fireballer on Monday against the Phillies.

.@Noahsyndergaard‘s pitches will literally leave a mark on you: https://t.co/ebg28qG0md pic.twitter.com/Uu4nosA0oN

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 19, 2016

Syndergaard (2–0) pitched seven innings in the 5–2 win, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run. It was his third straight start, to begin the season, with eight strikeouts while allowing one earned run or less.

The pitch in question apparently was one that bounced in the dirt and ricocheted off Plawecki’s chest protector.

How hard does Noah Syndergaard throw? He personally branded former #Purdue star @kplawecki26 Monday. https://t.co/bac5Ayu6CI

— IndyStar Sports (@IndyStarSports) April 19, 2016

Syndergaard now has a MLB-best 29 strikeouts through three starts, while sporting a sparkling 0.90 ERA. His latest stellar outing—coupled with a pair of home runs by David Wright—evened the Mets record at 6–6.

So how fast does Syndergaard throw? According to brooksbaseball.net, Syndergaard’s average fastball this season is 98.73 mph. His slider, meanwhile, has been thrown even harder—98.89 mph. That would be enough to scar anyone’s chest.

Mets C Kevin Plawecki shows how hard Noah Syndergaard can throw. (via @SteveGelbs) pic.twitter.com/NcGtvVTXJv

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 19, 2016