Dodgers News: 'Bittersweet' Moment for Noah Syndergaard Facing Former LA 'Brothers'
Noah Syndergaard faced off against the Dodgers on Tuesday for the first time since the abrupt end to a pretty bitter engagement.
The Dodgers signed Syndergaard this past offseason hoping to revitalize his career, and unfortunately, the opposite happened.
Syndergaard endured the worst year of his career in Los Angeles, sporting a 7.16 ERA before going on the injured list with a blister, but more so for a mental reset.
While it was unclear whether Syndergaard would pitch again for the Dodgers this season, those questions were answered at the trade deadline, when he was shipped off to Cleveland in a one-for-one deal that brought back struggling infielder Amed Rosario.
On Tuesday, both players were reunited with their old teams, and while Rosario didn't play, Syndergaard got the start in the first game of the series.
While things got off to a rocky start for the former Dodger, allowing a two-run home run to his former battery mate Will Smith in the first inning, he settled in nicely, allowing just three earned runs across six innings in an eventual Guardians win.
After the game, Syndergaard talked reporters about the bittersweet start against his old friends.
"That one just felt really good for me on a personal level, and then just as a team, [too]," Syndergaard said."It’s a bittersweet moment pitching against the Dodgers just because I formed a lot of friends and brothers over there."
Syndergaard also acknowledged the good and bad memories that came with it.
"[I'm] reminded of the good in it, but also the bad. I’m reminded that I wasn’t successful over there. Just going over here and having a nice reset I think is really good for me."
Syndergaard has been a little better since going to Cleveland, sporting a 4.94 ERA in five starts.
