05 Jul Getting to know N.Y. METS ALL STAR PITCHER Noah Syndergaard

Born: August 29, 1992, Mansfield, Texas NIckname: “Thor” and “”The Hammer” MLB Debut: May 12, 2015 for the New York Mets Height: 6 foot 6 Signed with: The Toronto Blue Jays selected Syndergaard in the first round, with the 38th overall selection, of the 2010 MLB Draft. He signed with the Blue Jays, receiving a $600,000 signing bonus to forego his commitment to Dallas Baptist. Syndergaard went to the Big Apple along with their top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud for pitcher R.A. Dickey, catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. Tell Mets fans who Noah Syndergaard is. I would say Noah Syndergaard is a pretty normal guy, pretty goofy at times, I like hanging out with friends just [like] any 22-year-old likes to do … love different TV shows — “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad” and all that stuff. What do you like to do when you are not playing baseball? Weightlifting How much can you squat? At one point I could squat 455 pounds (206 kg) and deadlift 512 pounds (232 kg). How did you get the nickname Thor? The home planet of Thor is called Asgard, which is like my last name. It just kind of stuck with me. I guess a Mets fan gave it to me, and I’m not going to say, ‘No.’ It’s not a bad name to have. Favorite movies: Gran Torino, Step Brothers, basically anything with Will Ferrell in it, the “Transformers” movies. Favorite actor: Mark Wahlberg. Favorite actress: Jennifer Lawrence. Favorite Comedian: I liked Robin Williams a lot. Of course Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart as well. Athletes in other sports you admire. Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt. What is so great about pitching in New York? I would have to say the fans. I was exiting the field after Terry [Collins, Mets manager] took me out the other day, I had my eyes set on getting to the dugout, but I can see all around, my peripheral vision, the fans giving me a standing ovation. The cheering is so loud out there. I’d also say just living in the city, I just recently found myself an apartment, I love how you can go out and do basically whatever you want and have the most unbelievable food you’ve ever eaten at anywhere around the corner. How did it feel to hit two home runs in the same game? It felt like I was in a dream, an awesome experience. What is it like to be able to throw 100 miles an hour? It’s an unbelievable feeling. That was a goal of mine, to be able to one day reach triple digits, and I put a lot of hard work and dedication into just getting stronger overall, and it’s quite a feat. Favorite Major League Team Growing Up: Texas Rangers If you could pick the brain of one pitcher in history, who would you pick? I would say Nolan Ryan.… Watching him play a while back when I was a kid, so my memory’s a little fuzzy, but I mean the type of demeanor and attitude on the mound. He’s a bulldog out there, and it’s something I would just like to pick his brains about.… My girlfriend actually had the opportunity to meet him before I did. He got to throw out the first pitch at a Rangers game, she actually played catch with him. She won Miss Texas, so that was one of the perks she got to do.