Remembering Noah Syndergaard's Mets Debut 5 Years Ago Today

New York Mets fans are gutted that Noah Syndergaard will be sidelined for the next 12 months after a surprise UCL tear forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old flamethrower figured to play a huge role on a club which, following an electric finish to the 2019 season, has genuine playoff aspirations this time around.

At least for today, Queens devotees are justified in putting their mourning on freeze, because on this date five years ago, Thor made his highly-hyped debut for the Mets. In fitting fashion, Syndergaard posted an awesome montage on Instagram that paid tribute to the feat.

Though the 22-year-old rookie took the loss in his start against the Chicago Cubs, Syndergaard didn't pitch bad at all. He surrendered three runs in 5.1 innings of work and struck out six batters. The Mets lineup didn't do him any favors, as it managed to muster just one run as Chicago rolled to a 6-1 victory.

It wasn't the fairytale ending that the 2016 All-Star had hoped for in his debut, but this outing hinted to the rest of the league that his stuff was as nasty as any seasoned hurler. For the year, Syndergaard finished 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA, 166 strikeouts, and a 1.047 WHIP across 24 starts.

It's been rough sledding for Syndergaard since bursting onto the scene in 2015, as he's struggled with consistency and injuries, and Mets fans will be hoping he returns to form next season when he's fully-recovered from Tommy John surgery.