Thor makes plea to bring back Warthen
PHILADELPHIA — Noah Syndergaard is fighting hard for his pitching coach.
With Dan Warthen expected to be fired this week after nine-plus years in his position, the recovering Mets ace wants team brass to reconsider.
A Mets pitching staff pummeled by injuries and underperformance finished the season with a 5.01 ERA.
“I think it’s pretty much bull [expletive] what is going on with Dan,” Syndergaard said after the Mets lost 11-0 to the Phillies in the season finale. “He is taking the blame for all the injuries that have happened this year and I think they are looking in the wrong direction.
“If Dan is not back next year, then what does that say, because I am right here saying in my opinion I think he is best for our pitching staff and I want him to be our pitching coach for the remainder of my career.”
Syndergaard, who missed 4 ½ months recovering from a torn right lat, pitched two scoreless innings Sunday and hit 101 mph on the radar gun. It was his second appearance since returning from the disabled list.
“Today was the best I have felt in my entire life and I owe a lot of the credit to Dan,” Syndergaard said.
After losing 24 pounds last winter and then putting much of the weight back on during the season, Dominic Smith is looking forward to a health kick in the coming weeks.
Smith, who went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday, entered play hitting .198 with nine homers and 26 RBIs after arriving to the major leagues Aug. 11.
Rafael Montero’s final month regression continued.
The right-hander allowed f ive earned runs over 2 2/3 innings to finish the season with a 5.52 ERA. Montero had an August surge that bolstered his standing in the organization, but a rough September left his status in question for 2018.