World Series: Noah Syndergaard excited to get ball for Phillies in Game 5, capping odd season for ex-Mets ace 

PHILADELPHIA — Noah Syndergaard agrees: His start Thursday night, in Game 5 of the World Series against the Astros and Justin Verlander, is the biggest of his life. 

The Phillies could have given the ball to Zack Wheeler, their ace who would have pitched on regular rest. But because he experienced arm fatigue after his poor performance last weekend, they opted to give him two extra days until Game 6 on Saturday in Houston.

That means you are up, Noah Syndergaard. It’ll be a huge finish to his weird season before another venture into free agency.

“Every start this year's kind of been one that I'm not quite used to,” Syndergaard said. “Just because coming back from Tommy John, I haven't possessed the ability to throw a hundred miles an hour, off-speed stuff hasn't been the same. So I've really had to adapt and change my way of pitching, and I think it's just going to really help me out overall.” 

This will be his first World Series game since the famous Alcides Escobar “60 feet, 6 inches” Game 3 against the Royals in 2015, when Syndergaard was a rookie with the Mets. 

He initially was set to pitch Game 3. But the Phillies rejiggered their rotation after the rainout Monday. Because he hasn’t pitched much over the past six weeks, Syndergaard is expected to max out Thursday at three or four innings. 

“I don't know if you have seen me on the field, I love throwing. It's addicting to me,” he said. “Especially because I'm not satisfied with where I'm at pitching-wise. So I'm always trying to work at it, get comfortable. So there's really no shortage of knocking the rust off.” 

Wheeler has had a tricky — if largely effective — late-season stretch. The Phillies put him on the injured list for a month, late August until late September, with what they called right forearm tightness. They figured the rest would do him good ahead of what at that point was a hoped-for, not-at-all-guaranteed playoff bid and run. 

And they were right. In his first seven starts after returning — three in the regular season, four in the postseason — he had a 1.34 ERA. He struck out 40 batters in 40 1/3 innings. His fastball was its fastest ever, sitting in the upper 90s early in recent games, a bump he attributed to the adrenaline of October. 

But then in his Game 2 start he had a harder time, in part because of a softer fastball. Wheeler opened by allowing three doubles on his first four pitches and closed with a line of five runs (four earned) in five innings. 

So they’ll have him waiting to pitch Game 6, if necessary. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson. 

“When he went on the IL, we brought him back, and not that we rushed him, but we ramped him up pretty quick,” Thomson said. “And I think that took its toll on him a little bit, and I think that's why you're seeing now the velocity go down a little bit. So I'm hoping the extra couple days will help him. 

“There is a part of it where you have to think about, OK, if I don't have my velocity, what am I going to do? Am I going to lean more on my slider or my curveball or my changeup? Really focus on commanding the ball? You got to figure it out if you don't have your best velocity.” 

Verlander, meanwhile, still is looking for his first career World Series win — and to bounce back from an ugly Game 1 outing. 

He gave up five runs in five innings on Friday in Houston, allowing the Phillies to climb out of an early five-run hole in their eventual win. His marks in eight Fall Classic games across 16 years: 0-6, 6.07 ERA. 

This also might be Verlander’s final game with the Astros. He can become a free agent after the season. 

“Really and truly it's been a hell of a ride no matter what happens whether I stay or don't,” he said. 

Syndergaard noted the poetry that his last game of the year will come against Verlander. They faced each other in their season debuts, too, after significant overlap during their rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida. 

“It's going to be really cool to have the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Justin Verlander,” Syndergaard said. “Justin's a guy that I've looked up to my entire life . . . Just the whole opportunity just kind of gives me chills.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.