Noah Syndergaard Stats vs. Astros: Does the Phillies' Game 3 Starter have an advantage over the Astros?

It's fitting that Noah Syndergaard, nicknamed Thor, is set to start Game 3 of the World Series on Halloween. In what will be the sixth Halloween game in MLB history, the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros will be vying for control of the series. Syndergaard will go toe-to-toe against hard-throwing righty Lance McCullers of the Astros.

"Noah Syndergaard, of course, will be starting his first World Series game since this. (He remains the only Mets pitcher in the last 22 years to win a World Series game.)" - Anthony DiComo

Syndergaard might have an edge over Houston due to his past success against their lineup. In 2 appearances this season, Thor owns a 1-0 record. Over the course of 9.1 innings pitched against the Astros, Noah finished with a 2.89 ERA along with 4 strikeouts, while only allowing 5 hits.

While the sample size is small, Syndergaard has been successful head-to-head against some of the top batters for Houston as well. In his career, he has only allowed one hit to the combination of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Yordan Alvarez.

"Noah Syndergaard will start Game 3 tomorrow, so here’s a throwback to when he threw the nastiest pitch I’ve ever seen" - Will Cave

Since being acquired by the Phillies, Syndergaard has posted a 4.12 ERA and has a record of 5-2. While he is set to start the game, he has not appeared in many innings. It remains to be seen how far he will pitch in Game 3.

Noah Syndergaard's roller coaster career so far

Syndergaard, who was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, was traded to the New York Mets in a deal that sent R.A. Dickey the other way. He emerged at a young age as a flamethrower, racking up 384 strikeouts in his first two years in the MLB, but injuries de-railed his promising career.

"Seven years just seems like a long time ago. I was just a very naive rookie at the time." Noah Syndergaard on his return to the World Series mound for the first time since 2015:" - Anthony DiComo

While he suffered from nagging injuries that slowed his progress, the catastrophic injury that hurt him reaching his superstar potential was Tommy John Surgery. After electing for surgery, the pitcher faces an average recovery time of 18 months. From the end of the 2019 season until the beginning of the 2022 season, Syndergaard only pitched 2.0 innings.