Mets Noah Syndergaard Takes a Joy Ride on Phanatic’s ATV
Before a recent Mets—Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, Noah Syndergaard hopped on the Phillie Phanatic’s ATV for a spin around the outfield.
New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard has a serious issue with mascots. This dates back to last season when he told FOX Sports that he had a big fear of mascots because they are “very stealthy, but huge at the same time.” He specifically mentioned his team’s mascot, Mr. Met, and that got the feud started. Syndergaard and Mr. Met had a back-and-forth battle on Twitter last season that carried over into this spring and included Mrs. Met and Noah Syndergaard’s mom as collateral damage.
Recently, Syndergaard dealt some baseball player justice to the Philadelphia Phillies mascot, the Phillie Phanatic. The Phanatic is well-known for mocking opposing players and managers before and duringgames at Citizens Bank Park. While Mets players were getting ready for their game against the Phillies, the Phanatic sauntered over to Curtis Granderson with mischief in his heart. As the Phanatic was teasing Granderson, Syndergaard saw an opening. He hopped on the Phanatic’s ATV and took it for a joy ride in the outfield.
Syndergaard tweeted after the game: “Mess with Grandy and there will be consequences.” In this case, I’m not sure Syndergaard understands who he’s dealing with. The Phillie Phanatic will not go down without a fight. He’s not simply a human body with a gigantic head, like Mr. Met. He’s much more than that.
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Even though Noah Syndergaard stands 6-foot-6 inches in height and has the body of a Norse God, the Phanatic is just as tall and has a good 60 pounds on Syndergaard. According to his online profile, the Phanatic is also 6-foot-6 inches tall and weighs 300 pounds, with a 90-inch waist, which is about three times the waist of Noah Syndergaard, Thrower of Thunder.
When it comes to sparring, the Phanatic may not have the reach of Syndergaard, but he is definitely in a higher weight class. He also has an interest in boxing, with his favorite moving being the Philly-based Rocky. During the 2007 NLDS, the Phanatic engaged a man in fisticuffs on the field before the Phillies’ game against the Rockies and floored him with one mighty blow (after a bit of distraction, but that’s how the Phanatic rolls).
That wasn’t the first time the Phanatic got into a kerfuffle on the baseball diamond. Way back in 1988, he battled with one of the managerial legends in baseball history, Mr. Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phanatic had frequently targeted Lasorda over the years, but he finally went too far when he dressed up a stuffed dummy in a Lasorda uniform and ran it over with his ATV.
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With the Phanatic’s history, Noah Syndergaard better watch himself. Like he said, mascots are stealthy, even 6-foot-6, 300-pound mascots like the Phillie Phanatic. Noah doesn’t want any part of the Phanatic. He should stick to battling Mr. Met.