Noah Syndergaard throws first pitch of Game 3 at Alcides Escobar’s head

NEW YORK — Noah Syndergaard figured out a way to keep Alcides Escobar from swinging at the first pitch. He threw it at his head.

Escobar, the Kansas City Royals leadoff man, has flourished this postseason swinging at the first pitch. That includes an inside-the-park home run off Matt Harvey in the bottom of the first in Game 1. Syndergaard’s 98-mph fastball buzzed past Escobar’s head and to the backstop. It woke up Escobar and the Citi Field crowd.

Syndergaard dà il benvenuto ai @Royals in questo modo #WorldSeries #LGM pic.twitter.com/wgm971SM7Q

— Giacomo Moccetti (@mocc88) October 31, 2015

Here’s where the plot thickens: During a press conference on Thursday, Syndergaard was asked about Escobar swinging at the first pitch. Syndergaard’s response: “I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I’ll be able to break out [Friday] night. I’m looking forward to it.”

[From Tim Brown: Mets hope to rediscover their postseason magic at home]

Well, that’s one kind of “trick.” Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas clearly wasn’t a fan and you don’t need to be much of a lip reader to figure that out.

Escobar ended up striking out, but the Royals would score a run in the first off Syndergaard. David Wright hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give the Mets a lead, but the Royals scored two more in the second inning to re-take the lead.

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