Barely an hour after clinching their spot in the National League wild-card game, the New York Mets announced right-hander Noah Syndergaard will take the mound for Wednesday's one-game playoff at Citi Field.
"It's like every little kid's dream come true to pitch in a high-stakes game," Syndergaard told reporters after his club secured home-field advantage for the wild-card showdown with a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. "I'll embrace it."
The Mets' opponent for the one-and-done affair has yet to be decided, as the San Francisco Giants (85-75) and St. Louis Cardinals (85-76) will both head into the final day of the regular season with a chance of securing the second wild-card spot.
Either way, the Mets will have their undisputed ace on the mound, working on seven days' rest in a stadium he's dominated in all season. Syndergaard, who allowed one run and struck out eight over six innings Tuesday at Marlins Park, crafted a 2.87 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP in 16 starts and one relief appearance at home this season, posting a 6.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing just six home runs in 97 1/3 innings (0.55 per nine).
An All-Star for the first time this season, Syndergaard managed a 2.60 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP in 183 2/3 innings in 2016, leading all qualified starters in both fielding independent pitching (2.28) and homers per nine innings (0.54).