New York Mets ace starting pitcher Kodai Senga made his season debut against the Miami Marlins and turned in a solid outing after some early struggles.
Mets’ Kodai Senga settled down after a rocky start against the Marlins
Pitching in his first regular season game since July 26 of last year, Senga threw five innings, struck out eight batters, and allowed two earned runs. His outing started shaky, as he allowed a double to Xavier Edwards and then a two-run home run to Kyle Stowers in the first inning.
However, he settled down after that and struck out five of the next nine batters he faced, including the third inning in which he struck out the side. Unfortunately, the Mets’ bats were quiet once again as the Mets fell to the Marlins by a score of 4-2.
Senga spoke after the game about how his outing went and how his approach changed following the rough first inning.
“I think I was just a little relieved to be back out there in a big league game after the year that I had last year, and that kind of led to bad results,” Senga said, via MLB.com’s Justin Morris. “But after that, I was able to sort out through my head what I need to do, and to how to approach the hitters.”
Senga will be a key part of the Mets’ rotation this season
The Mets will be relying on Senga heavily this season, especially with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas on the injured list to begin the season. Senga was an All-Star in 2023 and was one of the best pitchers in the National League, but injuries held him to just one regular season start last year.
He would return for the playoffs but struggled immensely as the Mets fell short of reaching the World Series at the hands of the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The hope is that Senga can return to his ace form this season and provide stability in a Mets’ rotation that has a lot of unknowns.