Syndergaard-Ventura One of Best Young Matchups Ever

One year ago, at just 23 years old, Yordano Ventura became one of the youngest pitchers to start a World Series game in the last 30 years. The presence of a young starter in the World Series is not a completely rare phenomenon, naturally. Ventura, for his part, was the 64th pitcher in Series history to make a start before turning 24 years old, per Baseball Reference Play Index. Noah Syndergaard is set to be the 65th when the two face off this evening. Widening the criteria a little, one finds that 105 pitchers have made World Series starters before turning 25 years old. Ventura, now one year older, is set to be one of just 19 pitchers to make a start in two different World Series’ before turning 25, a list including Babe Ruth and, over the last 30 years including, only Madison Bumgarner and Steve Avery. Tonight’s encounter between Syndergaard and Ventura represents one of the better young pitching matchups in World Series history.

Over the last three decades, the only pitchers younger than the 2014 edition of Ventura to record a start in a World Series game were Avery, Bumgarner, Dwight Gooden, Livan Hernandez, Bret Saberhagen, Michael Wacha, and Jaret Wright. Noah Syndergaard, a few months younger than Ventura was last year, is set to join that list. The giant Mets right-hander has struck out 20 batters in 13 postseason innings thus far and looks to do what his counterparts could not as the Kansas City Royals have proven difficult to strike out.

While 105 pitchers under the age of 25 have made starts in the World Series, it’s quite rare to find two young hurlers pitted against each other. In the last 15 years, it has happened only twice: Madison Bumgarner against Tommy Hunter in 2010 and Cole Hamels against Scott Kazmir in 2008. In all of World Series history, there have only been 24 such matchups and only 19 if you remove repeat matchups in the same series. The chart below shows every World Series matchup sorted by average age.

World Series Matchups Featuring Pitchers Under 25

Year	Player	Age	Player	Age	Average Age
10/23/1981	Dave Righetti	22.329	Fernando Valenzuela	20.356	21.343
10/22/1991	Scott Erickson	23.262	Steve Avery	21.191	22.227
10/26/1991	Scott Erickson	23.266	Steve Avery	21.195	22.231
10/22/1997	Tony Saunders	23.176	Jaret Wright	21.297	22.237
10/31/2010	Tommy Hunter	24.120	Madison Bumgarner	21.091	22.606
10/19/1986	Roger Clemens	24.076	Dwight Gooden	21.337	22.707
10/7/1950	Bob Miller	24.113	Whitey Ford	21.351	22.732
10/12/1914	Lefty Tyler	24.302	Bullet Joe Bush	21.319	22.811
10/8/1934	Schoolboy Rowe	24.270	Paul Dean	22.055	23.163
10/14/1969	Jim Palmer	23.364	Gary Gentry	23.008	23.186
10/11/1964	Ray Sadecki	23.290	Al Downing	23.105	23.198
10/30/2015	Yordano Ventura	24.149	Noah Syndergaard	22.256	23.203
9/29/1932	Lefty Gomez	23.308	Lon Warneke	23.185	23.247
10/10/1970	Jim Palmer	24.360	Gary Nolan	22.136	23.248
10/14/1970	Jim Palmer	24.364	Gary Nolan	22.140	23.252
10/8/1912	Jeff Tesreau	24.217	Smoky Joe Wood	22.349	23.283
10/11/1912	Jeff Tesreau	24.220	Smoky Joe Wood	22.352	23.286
10/15/1912	Jeff Tesreau	24.224	Smoky Joe Wood	22.356	23.290
10/11/1909	Ed Summers	24.310	Nick Maddox	22.336	23.323
10/21/1972	Gary Nolan	24.147	Vida Blue	23.085	23.616
10/3/1953	Whitey Ford	24.347	Billy Loes	23.294	23.821
10/9/1934	Dizzy Dean	24.266	Elden Auker	24.018	24.142
10/22/2008	Cole Hamels	24.300	Scott Kazmir	24.272	24.286
10/27/2008	Cole Hamels	24.305	Scott Kazmir	24.277	24.291

SOURCE: Baseball Reference

The encounter between Dave Righetti and Fernando Valenzuela back in 1981, when the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees, represents the youngest such matchup of all tim . Only two of the young-pitcher games have occurred in a Game Two: Jeff Tesrau’s Giants team defeated Boston’s Smokey Joe Wood in 1912 and Dizzy Dean’s St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Tigers’ Elden Auker in 1934. If the Mets and Royals get to a Game Seven and the rotation stays as is, Noah Syndergaard against Yordano Ventura would become just the third such matchup of all-time and the first in more than 80 years.

We can whittle the above chart down a little bit by excluding players who were older than Ventura when they started. The table above indicated that tonight’s matchup is the 12th youngest of all-time by average when both pitchers are under 25 years old. Focusing only on those matchups in which both pitchers are younger than Ventura, we find just 11 matchups, excluding repeats. There are only six matchups in which both pitchers’ WAR exceeded 2.5 on the season. The chart below shows the 11 matchups in which both pitchers have been Ventura’s age and younger along with the average WAR of the pitchers that season.

Greatest World Series Matchups Featuring Pitchers Under 25

Year	Player	Age	WAR	Player	WAR	Age	Average WAR
10/19/1986	Roger Clemens	24.076	7.1	Dwight Gooden	4.8	21.337	6.0
10/23/1981	Dave Righetti	22.329	3.5	Fernando Valenzuela	4.9	20.356	4.2
10/11/1964	Ray Sadecki	23.290	3.7	Al Downing	4.2	23.105	4.0
9/29/1932	Lefty Gomez	23.308	3.0	Lon Warneke	4.4	23.185	3.7
10/14/1969	Jim Palmer	23.364	3.7	Gary Gentry	2.3	23.008	3.0
10/22/1991	Scott Erickson	23.262	3.2	Steve Avery	2.6	21.191	2.9
10/30/2015	Yordano Ventura	24.149	2.7	Noah Syndergaard	3.1	22.256	2.9
10/21/1972	Gary Nolan	24.147	2.9	Vida Blue	2.1	23.085	2.5
10/7/1950	Bob Miller	24.113	2.5	Whitey Ford	1.8	21.351	2.2
10/31/2010	Tommy Hunter	24.120	0.9	Madison Bumgarner	1.7	21.091	1.3
10/22/1997	Tony Saunders	23.176	1.0	Jaret Wright	1.3	21.297	1.2

SOURCE: Baseball Reference

Gooden-Clemens in 1986 featured two of the best pitchers in the game near their peak, although neither of them lasted longer than five innings, as the Red Sox beat the Mets 9-3 in Game Two of the World Series that season. While Ventura-Syndergaard is not at the level of that matchup, the Mets again feature the younger pitcher. Both pitchers throw hard, and the matchup is a rare delight for fans who enjoy seeing young, exciting pitchers face off.