Syndergaard becomes 1st pitcher since 1983 to win 1-0 with CG, HR
Noah Syndergaard did it all for the New York Mets on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds.
The star pitcher polished off a gem by striking out Yasiel Puig looking with the tying run on second base for the second complete-game shutout of his career. The man they call Thor also drilled a solo home run off Reds starter Tyler Mahle in the third inning.
It was the only offense the Mets needed, as they won by a 1-0 score.
Absolutely #crushed. 😱👋@Noahsyndergaard goes over the Great Wall of Flushing. #PitchersWhoRake pic.twitter.com/31ETkLKjal
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 2, 2019
Syndergaard's impressive outing was accomplished in exceptionally rare fashion. The last major-league pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout and also hit a solo homer in a 1-0 win was Bob Welch of the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 17, 1983, according to MLB Stats. Coincidentally, that also came against the Reds. Altogether, only seven other games have been won in this manner since 1908, according to Baseball Reference.
The closest a pitcher has come in recent memory was Gerrit Cole in 2017 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates won 1-0 on Cole's solo home run in the sixth inning - also against the Reds - but Cole only tossed seven frames.
Meanwhile, Thursday was the first time the Mets have ever won a game 1-0 on a solo bomb from their starting pitcher.
It was the sixth homer of Syndergaard's career, moving him into a tie with Tom Seaver for second on the Mets' all-time home run list for pitchers. If Syndergaard hits another, he'll match Dwight Gooden's mark of seven as a member of the Metropolitans.
On the mound, the outing was a huge step in the right direction for Syndergaard. Entering the day, he was 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in six starts this season, but punched out 10 Reds over nine innings while allowing four hits and one walk, lowering his ERA to 5.02.