Tuesday night, the Mets and Nationals met for the first time in 2016. While they'd play each other 19 times this season, both teams wanted to make a statement. They sent their hottest starting pitchers to the mound, Noah Syndergaard for New York, Max Scherzer -- coming off a record-tying 20 strikeout performance -- for Washington. Keep in mind, the last time Scherzer pitched at Citi Field, he threw a no-hitter.
Even though the Nats came into the night a game and a half up on the Mets, this night belonged to the boys from Flushing and the pitcher nicknamed Thor.
In what manager Terry Collins called a "fearless" performance, Syndergaard worked seven shutout innings, striking out 10 and allowing just five hits. He kept Washington's big bats, Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and ex-Met Daniel Murphy in check. And thanks to home runs from Curtis Granderson -- who sent Scherzer's first pitch of the game over the right field fence -- and Michael Conforto, Noah had the lead all night.
Can there be a "statement game" in the first of 19 meetings between division rivals? Probably not. But the Nationals had a lot to think about as they headed back to their hotel -- starting with the image of Syndergaard and all that hair outpitching their $200 million ace.
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