The Walk Off: Noah Syndergaard leads Mets with strong arm and bat

Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.

If you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself.

That’s the mentality New York Mets stud Noah Syndergaard pitched with and hit with in an all-around dominant performance on Wednesday night.

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(AP) The 23-year-old right-hander was in full control on the hill, tossing eight innings of two-run ball in the Mets 4-3 victory. Amazingly, he was even better with the bat, driving in all four of New York’s runs with a pair of home runs.

Syndergaard started the game’s scoring with a solo home run off Kenta Maeda in the third inning. He then followed with a go-ahead three-run blast in the fifth, also off Maeda. That marked the first time an MLB pitcher has homered twice in the same game since Micah Owings did it for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. Syndergaard is the second Mets pitcher to do it, joining Walt Terrell. That happened in 1983.

Needless to say, Syndergaard entered unique territory with his big all-around game, and he even had a chance to do more damage with the bases loaded in the seventh. After ripping two long, loud foul balls, he eventually struck out.

Making Syndergaard’s performance all the more impressive is how locked Maeda has been for Los Angeles. He came in having only allowed three total home runs in 40 innings this season.

We can only assume Syndergaard was somehow motivated by Bartolo Colon’s home run over the weekend. We can also safely assume there are more home runs to come from the man they call “Thor.”

TOP PERFORMERS

Max Scherzer: Washington’s right-hander made history against his former club, the Detroit Tigers, by striking out 20 batters in a 3-2 win. Scherzer’s 20 strikeouts tied the nine-inning MLB record, putting him in the same company as Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood. Clements actually accomplished it twice.

Wei-Yin Chen: Speaking of big strikeout games, Chen posted a career-high 12 in the Marlins 3-2 win against the Brewers. Chen, who signed a two-year, $28 million deal in the offseason, allowed just two runs over 6 2/3 innings. He may have been in for a bigger night if not for his pitch count, but the Marlins will take the outing anyway. This also marked Chen’s first win at Marlins Park.

[Elsewhere: David Ortiz meets Maverick, the young fan he promised a home run]

Fernando Rodney: The most stunning results of the day came at Wrigley Field, where the San Diego Padres swept a day-night doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs. San Diego won the opener, 7-4, to snap Chicago’s eight-game winning streak. In the nightcap, they won 1-0 behind six scoreless innings from Drew Pomeranz. However, the real star of the day was the closer, Fernando Rodney, who earned a save in each game.

Jackie Bradley Jr.: Boston’s No. 9 hitter finished a huge series with two runs and six more RBIs in a 13-3 win against the A’s. Bradley drove in six in the series opener as well and finished with 13 over the three games. Meanwhile, the A’s allowed 40 total runs, which is the most they’ve ever allowed in a three-game series.

Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo: The 3-4-5 combo in Baltimore’s lineup was unstoppable in their 9-2 dismantling of the Twins. Together, they were 10-for-15 with four home runs, six runs scored and all nine of the Orioles RBIs. Trumbo led the way with a pair of bombs off Twins starter Phil Hughes. He has 11 on the season, which is one short of Robinson Cano for the AL lead.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

When a game goes 16 innings, this might be the most satisfying way end it. Houston’s Marwin Gonzalez launched a two-run walk-off blast to give the Astros a 5-3 win against the Indians on Wednesday, and a needed series win as well.

THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD

Rangers 6, White Sox 5: Texas wins a highly entertaining series thanks to their second straight comeback victory. Adrian Beltre knocked home the winning run with a sixth-inning RBI single.

Rockies 8, Diamondbacks 7: Nolan Arenado’s league-leading 13th home run ensured the Rockies wouldn’t completely blow a 7-1 lead or be swept by Arizona.

Mariners 6, Rays 5 (11 innings): Marwin Gonzalez wasn’t the only walkoff hero. Seattle’s Chris Iannetta launched a solo homer in the 11th to clinch a Mariners sweep of the Rays.

Giants 5, Blue Jays 4 (13 innings): A walkoff in a literal sense, as San Francisco’s Buster Posey drew a walk-off walk to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays.

Royals 7, Yankees 3: Kansas City rode a four-run first inning to victory. Lorenzo Cain stayed hot with a two-run single and two walks.

Braves 5, Phillies 1: Atlanta finally wins its second home game of the season.

Pirates 5, Reds 4: After a rainout on Tuesday, the Pirates earned a series split. Andrew McCutchen, David Freese, Jung-ho Kong and Josh Harrison each homered.

Cardinals 5: Angels 2: St. Louis got seven innings of two-run ball from Jaime Garcia. They’ll go for the sweep on Thursday.

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