One day, Kodai Senga is pitching in Florida, questioning whether he’s wasting his time trying to recover for a game that might never happen.
The next day, Pete Alonso hits a game-winning three-run homer in Milwaukee, keeping the New York Mets’ unlikely season alive. Meanwhile, Senga boards a plane to join his teammates in Philadelphia for one of the most unexpected starts in Major League Baseball postseason history.
Senga, who has only pitched once this season, lasting a total of 5⅓ innings on July 26, is set to start against the powerhouse Phillies on Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
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The 31-year-old Senga, who signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Mets before the 2023 season, was an All-Star in his debut season. In 2023, he made 29 starts, boasting a 2.98 ERA and recording 202 strikeouts over 166 1/3 innings.
However, during spring training, he injured his right shoulder, which caused issues with his mechanics during recovery. This led to triceps discomfort and nerve inflammation, further delaying his return.
In his first start of the season on July 26 against the Atlanta Braves, Senga strained his calf and had to leave the game. At that point, he had struck out nine batters in 5 1/3 innings, allowing only two runs and two hits.
The calf injury landed him on the 60-day injured list, where he remained since. The Mets were hopeful he could return before the season ended, but more issues with his triceps prevented that from happening.
Reportedly, Senga approached the Mets, offering to pitch in this series, which led Mendoza to give him the start. After throwing a 25-pitch live batting practice session earlier in the week without any discomfort, Senga said he felt strong and ready to go.
“If anybody knows himself better than anybody, it’s Kodai Senga,” Mendoza told reporters, via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “We’ve been through it the whole year with him. The times that he goes out there and faces hitters or throws a lot of bullpens and is not feeling right, he’s always letting us know that. And that wasn’t the case in this situation.”
Senga clearly understands the team has complete faith in him. If they had serious concerns about his ability to pitch multiple innings, they wouldn’t risk using a valuable roster spot in the Division Series. No team would take that gamble if they didn’t trust their pitcher could perform.
“The team believes in me,” Senga said. “And I believe in myself. All I can do is go out and perform. …I’m looking forward to it.”
It worked out well for Schwarber and the Cubs in 2016 when they won their first World Series in 108 years.
With the way the Mets are pulling off miracles this season, who’s to say they can’t do it again?
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Picture Credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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