The New York Mets announced an unexpected starting pitcher for Game 1 of their National League division series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kodai Senga will get the starting nod in Saturday’s first game, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Friday. What makes the choice surprising is that the right-hander made just one start for the Mets during the regular season due to a variety of injuries.
Senga, 31 years old, signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Mets before the 2023 season and was an All-Star in his first season with the team. He made 29 starts with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings in 2023.
However, he injured his right shoulder during spring training and then developed issues with his mechanics while recovering and rehabbing the injury. That resulted in triceps discomfort and nerve inflammation that further delayed his return.
During his first start of the season on July 26 against the Atlanta Braves, Senga sprained his calf and had to leave the game. To that point, he had struck out nine batters in 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits.
The calf injury placed him on the 60-day disabled list, where he has remained ever since. The Mets hoped Senga could appear before the end of the regular season, but problems with his triceps developed again and prevented that from happening.
Senga reportedly approached the Mets about pitching in this series, which convinced Mendoza to give him the start. The pitcher said he felt healthy and strong enough to move forward after taking a 25-pitch live batting practice session earlier in the week and not experiencing any discomfort afterwards.
“If anyone knows himself better than anyone else, it’s Kodai Senga,” Mendoza told reporters. via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “We’ve been through this all year with him. The times he goes out and faces hitters or throws a lot of bullpens and doesn’t feel good, he always lets us know. And that wasn’t the case in this situation.”
Considering how little he has pitched this year, Senga can’t be expected to pitch many innings on Saturday. Mendoza did not disclose a pitch count or innings limit, but it’s hard to imagine Senga pitching more than two innings.
The Mets are expected to have starters David Peterson and Tylor Megill ready to pitch behind Senga, plus a fully available bullpen. That should allow Mendoza to start Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and José Quintana later in the series and extend the rotation through a best-of-five matchup.