As the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals get set to open the 2016 Major League Baseball season on Sunday night, with the Royals receiving their World Series rings for defeating the Mets last October, the only thing anyone is talking about right now is retaliation.
Marc Carig of Newsday reported Tuesday the Royals were seeking retribution against the Mets after Noah Syndergaard threw a pitch over the head of Alcides Escobar in Game 3 of last year’s Fall Classic.
Speaking to ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin on Wednesday, Syndergaard said he doesn’t understand what the Royals’ reported plan would accomplish:
I don’t think they’re too fond of me, but as far as retaliation goes, I really don’t know what they’re going to retaliate against. All I did was establish the inner part of the plate. So I don’t know what this whole retaliation talk is all about. But it’s going to be an interesting time. … I simply threw a pitch on the inside corner. Elevated. A purpose pitch. I don’t really see how any retaliation could be made.
It does seem like a pointless plan for the Royals, if it’s even true, because they got the ultimate revenge. They defeated the Mets to win the franchise’s first championship in 30 years. Nothing that Syndergaard or any other New York starting pitcher did last October changes that.
Syndergaard did say he’s not nervous heading to Kauffman Stadium this weekend: “I’m really looking forward to it, and all the guys are looking forward to it. It’s going to be an extremely high-energy game as soon as we get to Kansas City. It’s pedal to the metal from there.”
Matt Harvey is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets on Sunday, with Syndergaard getting the call in Game 2 of the series against Kansas City on Tuesday. He is going to get the same treatment from Royals fans that Chase Utley got from Mets fans last postseason.
The Royals have not been shy about trying to intimidate opponents, getting nine players ejected during a six-game span early last season for various reasons. They spent a lot of time as a doormat for American League opponents, but there should be a limit to how long one team can remain angry over something that didn’t make a difference in the outcome of its series.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com