Noah Syndergaard ended his year strong Sunday when he limited the Braves to three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts to three walks in the Mets' 7-6 win.
Before New York (86-76) walked off in the bottom of the 11th inning on Dom Smith's three-run home run with two outs to sweep Atlanta (97-65) for the regular-season finale, Syndergaard did his job.
With one more start for 2019, he made the most of the outing after the previous two combined to allow eight runs on 20 hits, cementing an age-26 campaign at 10-8 overall while sporting a 4.28 ERA in a career-high 197.2 innings over 32 starts.
"It's huge," Syndergaard said. "Just being able to battle some up and downs throughout the entire season. Struggled with consistency, so to be able to finish on a high note, personally -- and as a team -- was something we can take into this offseason and build off of."
Syndergaard's roller-coaster ride from April to July and now at the end of September leaves mixed feelings after he capped his 2018 season at 13-4 with a 3.03 ERA.
Questions about Syndergaard's catcher preference became the hot topic of September after the righty seemed to struggle with Wilson Ramos, resulting in starts with Tomas Nido and Rene Rivera.
His name surfaced in trade rumors ahead of July 31's deadline, but he remained with the Mets as they attempted their postseason push with a strong second half into August -- and he continues to believe his future involves New York.
"I try to just focus on the controllables and (possibly being traded) is completely out of my control," Syndergaard said. "I'm confident that, going into spring training next year, we'll be reporting to beautiful Port St. Lucie and being a Met. I love being a Met. It has a special place in my heart."
Under team control through the 2021 season, Syndergaard is among the Mets' offseason questions related to the starting rotation.
Zack Wheeler (11-8, 3.96 ERA) is set to hit free agency while reliever Seth Lugo (7-4, 2.70 ERA) remains open for a role change.
Whatever moves the Mets make, Syndergaard was clear on where he hopes his next five months lead him.
"I'm always mentally prepared for (hearing trade rumors) ... because I've experienced enough, probably, that I know what to expect," Syndergaard said. "But I'm pretty confident that I'll be in the orange and blue for a while."