Inside The Pinstripes

Noah Syndergaard Gets Rocked By Yankees in Return to New York

The former Mets right-hander made his return to New York on Tuesday, pitching for the Angels, and didn't last three innings.

Max Goodman

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Noah Syndergaard took the mound in New York for the first time since leaving the Mets in free agency and his return to The Big Apple did not go as planned.

The Angels right-hander was chased from the game after just 2.1 innings pitched, allowing five runs on seven hits. He didn't strike out a single batter.

Syndergaard allowed four earned runs in the bottom of the first and the Yankees were all over his stuff right away. 

After a one-out walk from Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo doubled into the gap in right-center field, deflecting off the glove of a diving Mike Trout. That allowed Judge to score all the way from first.

One batter later, Gleyber Torres cracked an RBI double off the top of the wall in left center, scoring Rizzo. It would've been a triple for Torres—and initially was before replay review—but the second baseman's foot slipped off the bag as he slid into third base, allowing third baseman Matt Duffy to apply the tag.

From there, Miguel Andújar singled to center, setting the table for Matt Carpenter's first at-bat in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium. The veteran infielder, who signed with the Yankees just a few days ago, belted a two-run shot over the short porch in right on a two-strike slider.

The hits kept coming in the bottom of the second. 

With one out, Joey Gallo blooped a single down the left-field line. Two pitches later, DJ LeMahieu drove the outfielder home with a double into the left-field corner. 

Syndergaard was able to get out of that inning unscathed, but manager Joe Maddon quickly called to the bullpen in the third after a single from Torres and a booming flyout to center field off the bat of Andújar.

Seven hits and five runs was enough for the Angels to pull the plug, but that doesn't tell the entire story. Syndergaard had just one swing and miss across his entire outing (45 pitches). New York's lineup was all over the right-hander's five-pitch mix, even his secondary offerings, putting the ball in play over 95 mph five times. 

This comes after the Yankees and their banged-up, slumping lineup scored just five runs over the final three games of a four-game series against the Rays in Tampa Bay, a series they split with their division rival. 

Syndergaard's ERA jumped from 3.08 to 4.02 on the season after Tuesday's abbreviated outing in the Bronx. It's just the second time this season, over his eight starts, that the right-hander has allowed four-plus runs in a single outing.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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