Syndergaard shines in relief appearance

Don't say he didn't warn you.

Two days after Noah Syndergaard told the world he "can be available" out of the bullpen (no doubt a result of getting tossed just 34 pitches into Sunday's start), New York Mets manager Terry Collins decided to take the 23-year-old up on his offer, calling on Syndergaard for his first career regular-season relief appearance Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

Summoned to protect a one-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, Syndergaard looked very much like the dude who posted a 1.87 ERA through his first 10 starts in 2016, repeatedly hitting triple digits on the radar gun en route to a scoreless frame and his first ever hold. After Syndergaard fanned Adam Eaton on a 101-mph fastball to open the frame, Brett Lawrie managed to reach base on Asdrubal Cabrera's fielding error. The right-hander was unfazed, though, getting Jose Abreu to fly out before fanning Todd Frazier to end the inning.

Heading into Tuesday's contest, Syndergaard had only come out of the bullpen once since the start of the 2013 campaign: a scoreless, one-inning relief appearance in the Mets' 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of last year's National League Division Series.