Thor reaches 99 mph in spring debut

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- This time, there was no spectacle.

Unlike last February, when Noah Syndergaard waltzed into FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, hit 101 mph on the radar gun and then conducted his postgame interview shirtless, he emerged from the Mets’ clubhouse Monday wearing a plain black t-shirt -- “I couldn’t get a tan,” he quipped -- and a methodical attitude. In the Mets’ 3-3 tie with the Astros, Syndergaard topped out at a casual 99 mph, focusing mostly on his four-seam fastball -- pitching’s version of vanilla ice cream.

That’s not to say Syndergaard’s pizazz has vanished; his half-shaved haircut has been a frequent topic of discussion at camp, after he spent part of his winter in Europe posing as a Viking warrior for a History Channel drama. But on the mound, Syndergaard is businesslike.

“He does it so easy,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “It was nice, throwing as many strikes as he did. He and Jacob [deGrom] looked like they should at this point in spring."

Coming off an injury-plagued season, Syndergaard is tweaking and searching, trying to find a formula that will keep him both healthy and successful in 2019. The main change to his game is an abandonment of the two-seam fastball he used as his primary pitch in '17, before scaling back its usage somewhat last season. Monday, Syndergaard eschewed the two-seamer, which sinks and features left-to-right movement, in favor of a four-seamer that he feels comfortable delivering high in the strike zone.

The adjustment is similar to what deGrom did last season, frequently attacking a pull-happy generation of hitters up in the zone.

“I’m just trying to maintain a simple mindset,” Syndergaard said, “come to the ballpark every day and be the best teammate I can be, and every five days lay it between the lines, and put the team in the best situation to win a ballgame.”

Of the seven Astros Syndergaard faced on Monday, two struck out. Although he also allowed two hits, Syndergaard needed only 23 pitches to complete two innings, teaming with batterymate Tomas Nido to catch a runner stealing.

Despite running his fastball only into the high double digits, Syndergaard called his outing “pretty much max effort,” sprinkling in some changeups and hard sliders, as well.

“If you’ve got it in the tank, then I don’t see why not go out and get after it,” Syndergaard said, noting that dialing things back on purpose can lead to injuries.

That’s something Syndergaard, who has made only 32 starts the past two seasons due to a torn right lat, a strained ligament in his index finger and a viral infection, is hoping to avoid. Asked Monday about his recent injury history, Syndergaard offered a non-answer, saying he’s “put that in the past” and is trying “to keep negative thoughts out of his head.”

Perhaps that is wise for a pitcher who, when healthy, still ranks among the game’s best. In the aforementioned 32 starts, Syndergaard went 14-6 with a 3.02 ERA. While deGrom has surpassed him as the Mets’ staff ace, Syndergaard remains a pitcher with Cy Young Award ability himself -- if he can harness it.

“I try to control the controllables,” Syndergaard said. “I try to go out there and win every pitch. If that gets me a Cy Young, it gets me a Cy Young, but I’m not going to put that goal on myself. I’m just going to go out there and be the best teammate I can be, and try to compete with the utmost conviction on every single pitch that I throw.”