I’m not the Elias Sports Bureau, but I’m guessing there have not been two starters back to back who have made fewer starts than Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. Between the two of them, they have 30 combined starts, or about half an Old Hoss Radbourn season. 

Last night, Thor started the game like Old Hoss, or at least like his Twitter profile. In essence, he came out like a veteran. He effectively mixed his pitches limiting the Royals offense. Unlike the first two games, the Mets let their starter be who he was, and he pitched well. He pitched the Mets back into the series. 

Where Thor had to pitch the Mets back into the series, Matz has to keep them in the series. Thor showed him the blueprint. It wasn’t just the high and hard pitch to open the game. It wasn’t the 98 MPH fastball. It was Thor going out there and doing what he does well. That’s what Matz had to do tonight to give the Mets a chance to win. 

For Matz, that means establishing his fastball and keeping batters off balance with his curveball. He’s facing a team hitting .226 against lefties in the postseason (as opposed to .272 in the regular season). Arguably, the Royals best hitter, Kendrys Morales, will be on the bench. Matz is being put in a good position to have a strong game tonight. 

Both he and Thor are in there with the season on the line. A team driven by young starting pitching is now relying on the two youngest and most inexperienced pitchers. It worked in Game 3. They now turn to the local boy in Game 4. 

This is the moment every little boy dreams of, to play for your favorite team in the World Series. He’s getting that chance tonight. Hopefully, youth will be served.