There is a tried and true joke format that exists on Twitter: “I will do [a ridiculous thing] if [athlete / team] manages to do [an unlikely sports accomplishment].” Jokes in this structure tend to be good ones, because ridiculous things are funny, as are athletes and teams being held to high or unreasonable standards.
Rarely ever, however, will you be held to your outrageous statement by the athlete or team in question. Noah Syndergaard, however, wasn’t about to let Twitter user “jake” off the hook. Challenged to strike out ten batters on Opening Day, the New York Mets pitcher did just that over six innings, and then came to collect:
Check the dates: Syndergaard responded twenty days later! Imagine, the pitcher just taking notes of all of the ridiculous things that people post about doing online, and finally being able to call a person out on their hyperbole. In all likelihood, Syndergaard only saw the tweet after it came true and was retweeted a bunch, but the version of this story where he was counting down the days to turn somebody’s hair blonde is a much better one.
Like with any bet, this story could’ve ended very differently, but props to the fan for pulling through.
Minor language follows:
Athletes like to complain about fan engagement on social media, possibly because social media is a shrieking vortex of insults, rage and jokes, but this is nothing if not a wholesome interaction. Clearly, the moral of this story is that professional athletes should check their mentions more often. Or, it might just be to pick a different shade of blonde.
