In baseball, as in life, sometimes the best move is to wait—and the New York Mets are proving that with Kodai Senga. After a frustrating 2024 campaign that barely got off the ground, the Japanese ace is back and better than ever, thanks in large part to a cautious and calculated approach from the team.
A Slow Spring for a Reason
Senga’s 2024 was a detour no one wanted: one regular season start, followed by shoulder and calf issues, and a rocky postseason marked by a jarring 12.60 ERA.
It was the kind of season that makes fans bite their nails and front offices second-guess contracts. But instead of rushing him back this spring, the Mets took the long road. Like a chef slow-cooking a stew, they resisted the urge to turn up the heat too fast.
They held him back in Grapefruit League action, choosing careful monitoring over flash. Now, that restraint is paying off like a smart investment.
Senga’s Dominance in 2025
On Sunday, Senga spun seven scoreless innings at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento—no easy feat against a potent lineup in a ballpark that plays like a shoebox. That outing dropped his ERA to a microscopic 1.06 across 17 innings this season. This isn’t a case of smoke and mirrors, either.
He’s struck out 16 batters, has a WHIP of 1.00, and he’s showing the kind of command that pitchers spend years trying to harness. The ghost fork—a pitch that seems to vanish like it’s got a magic trick up its sleeve—is back and baffling hitters.
His fastball is humming, his control is sharp, and most importantly, he looks like the version of himself that dazzled fans in 2023.
A Steady Hand on the Mound
That 2023 season wasn’t a fluke, and Senga is proving it wasn’t beginner’s luck. With a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts under his belt that year, expectations were sky-high. This season, he’s not just matching them—he’s reminding everyone that when healthy, he’s the real deal.
As the Mets surge to a 10-5 record, Senga has been the quiet engine under the hood. A true ace doesn’t just show up on stat sheets; he sets the tone for the rotation, and right now, he’s doing just that. Sometimes, taking the scenic route leads you exactly where you need to be.