Noah Syndergaard made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday night.
His return was a highlight of the 2021 season for New York Mets fans, and to sweeten the deal, the 29-year-old looked great.
His outing was short, but it felt right seeing him on a big-league mound again.
Here’s everything to know.
Syndergaard’s Return A Sight For Sore Eyes For Mets Fans
After an agonizing season, Mets fans needed something to get excited over.
Syndergaard’s return provided just that.
The righty got the ball in the second game of New York’s doubleheader on Tuesday, and he was met with a massive ovation.
All the sights from Noah Syndergaard's 2021 debut ⚡⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/wgJNMrxAXR
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 29, 2021
Syndergaard worked just one inning, but it was a successful one.
He fanned two batters and didn’t allow a base-runner.
Moreover, he touched 96 on the radar gun, which was a great sight to see.
Syndergaard still has a long journey in front of him as it pertains to building up his stamina and stretching out into a starting pitching role again, but he’s clearly on the right track.
That’s all you can ask for.
After The Game, Syndergaard Made It Clear That He Expects To Return To The Mets Next Season
Syndergaard is a free agent after the season ends, but all signs point to the Mets bringing him back.
If his postgame press conference was any indication, then the one-time All-Star seems pretty sure of what his immediate future holds.
Noah Syndergaard on potentially returning to the Mets: "I'm fairly confident that we'll reach an agreement, and I'll be pitching here next year."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 29, 2021
Seeing Syndergaard on the bump for an entire season will be an awesome sight for Mets fans and MLB fans in general.
It’s easy to forget how dominant this guy was before he went down with his injury.
He had a career 3.31 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP over five seasons before undergoing surgery.
Obviously, the Mets would love to see some similar levels of production from the former first-round pick next season (assuming he does indeed return to the team).
Fans will have to be patient with him as he works through the long process of finding himself again as a pitcher, but the hope is that the results will be worthwhile.
As far as contracts go, New York is going to have a couple of options regarding how to approach the Syndergaard situation.
The Mets could extend him a qualifying offer, or they could try to sign him to a deal with a lower AAV.
It seems like Syndergaard wants to do whatever it takes to return to the team, but when a reporter asked him specifically about the possibility of a qualifying offer, he said he would be “extremely grateful” to be on the receiving end of it.
Wrap-Up
New York is hoping that its 2022 season will go nothing like its 2021 campaign has, but seeing Syndergaard in action was a nice moment for Mets fans.
The future is bright for the organization, especially given the type of offseason that most folks are expecting the Mets to have.
This team could be back as a World Series contender in 2022.
Many Mets fans weren’t even alive the last time New York won a World Series, and it’s time for that to change.
NEXT: 3 Mid-Level Free Agents Mets Should Target This Offseason