Mets' hopes ride on Thor's hammer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The man-child on the mound was simply getting some work in, two simulated innings to keep sharp for the World Series.

It was late afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, dimmed by dark clouds on this overcast day in Kansas City, and even his New York Mets teammates wanted no part of 6-foot-6 Noah Syndergaard.

David Wright bounded into the batting cage, watched a few fastballs whizz by like pellets fired from a BB gun, and stepped right back out.

"How are you supposed to hit that?" he asked buddy Michael Cuddyer.

A chuckling group of Mets marveled at Syndergaard's sizzling cheese the day before the Series opener — but now they have placed the heat squarely on their rookie starter. With the National League champs trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven set, the 23-year-old thunderbolt aptly nicknamed Thor pitches Friday night against Royals righthander Yordano Ventura.

And the Mets know perfectly well they can't afford to lose.

"It's nice to have Noah going," second baseman Daniel Murphy said after a 7-1 defeat in Game 2. "We'll get back to New York and I know the guys will be excited."

Syndergaard's fastball averaged 97.1 miles per hour during the regular season, the highest velocity of any major leaguer who pitched at least 150 innings, according to STATS.

The 24-year-old Ventura ranked third at 96.3 mph.

In the NL playoffs, Syndergaard threw 22 pitches at least 100 mph and topped out at 101, STATS said.

But while Syndergaard certainly brings it, so do Mets aces Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom. And despite their 95-98 mph fastballs, neither one was able to throttle a Royals lineup that has mastered the lost art of consistently making solid contact.

"This team likes the fastball," said ALCS MVP Alcides Escobar, the aggressive leadoff man who is batting .364 with 12 runs, eight RBI and seven extra-base hits this postseason.

"We're always ready for the fastball," Gordon said. "Never miss a fastball and adjust to offspeed."

Despite all the attention his heater draws, the rapid development of Syndergaard's secondary pitches has been the key to his immediate success.After making his major league debut in May, he picked up a two-seamer that runs to his arm side and fine-tuned his changeup. He gained control of his sharp slider without losing the ability to bend in that slower curveball.

All those improvements helped the righthander finish 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 150 innings — not to mention a long home run to straightaway center field.

Then he went 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA in three NL playoff games, including his first career relief appearance.

Powerful arm, swift progression.