Noah Syndergaard throws so hard he branded his catcher’s chest

New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard is nicknamed Thor, so it’s no secret that he’s a big, strong beast of a baseball player. But what he did Monday night is, if nothing else, a great reminder that Mets catchers would be wise to take extra measures when Syndergaard’s on the mound.

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At one point during New York’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, catcher Kevin Plawecki had to block a Syndergaard pitch with his chest. After the game, Plawecki had a memento from the block. Via SNY’s Steve Gelbs:

How hard does Syndergaard throw? Plawecki blocked a pitch w/ his chest. Theres now an imprint where his necklace was pic.twitter.com/Sd52ije5PZ

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) April 19, 2016

Here’s the absolute best detail, from Marc Carig of Newsday: It was a curveball.

Let’s talk particulars. Syndergaard went seven innings, striking out eight and allowing one run on five hits in the Mets’ 5-2 win over the Phillies. Syndergaard threw 94 pitches and, according to Brooks Baseball, he touched 102.3 mph at his peak. Syndergaard threw 18 pitches that were 100 mph or faster and another 15 that were 99 mph.

Yes, that’s good.

[Elsewhere: Jacob deGrom’s newborn son is doing better]

Thus far, Syndergaard leads MLB with 29 strikeouts in 20 innings. And his eight Ks on Monday night were actually his lowest total of the season. He struck out 12 in his previous outing and nine in his 2016 debut. He’s given up a total of two runs this season, which puts him in a pretty good company historically.

Noah Syndergaard: 1st pitcher to start season w/ 3 straight starts of 8+ K and 1 R or fewer allowed since Roger Clemens in 2005.

— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) April 19, 2016