On Thursday night in Flushing, New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard will take the mound in hopes of getting the struggling Mets back in the win column.
His counterpart? R.A. Dickey.
Dickey, a 2012 all-star, 20-game winner and Cy Young Award winner, was traded from the Mets (along with catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas) to the Toronto Blue Jays for Syndergaard, current Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud, former catcher John Buck and outfielder Wulimer Becerra following the 2012 season.
It was an interesting move for the Mets at the time, trading away the reigning Cy Young Award winner and his catcher, for a few top prospects in the Blue Jays system, but as time would tell, the move paid off for New York.
Syndergaard is one of the best young arms in all of baseball and is just getting started. Nicknamed Thor because he likes to drop the hammer on opposing hitters, Syndergaard has grown to throw a 100-mph fastball to go with a curveball, changeup and slider.
The Mets also received d’Arnaud who, along with Syndergaard, helped lead the Mets to the World Series in 2015, their first Fall Classic appearance since 2000.
In return, the Jays received Dickey, a knuckleballer who eats innings.
On Thursday, Dickey will be back on the Citi Field mound for the first time since the franchise-changing trade.
“It’s always fun to see your former players and try to go out and beat them,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “It’s hard because R.A. has pitched very, very well in this park.”
“My time here in New York was really extra special,” Dickey said. “This is where I resurrected my career. I was able to share a wonderful 2012 season with the New York fan base.”
The matchup certainly will be unique as a 44-year old and 24-year-old who were once traded for one another, share the same mound at Citi Field.