Mets’ Kodai Senga makes first Grapefruit League start
JUPITER, Fla. — Kodai Senga had been looking forward to facing Major League hitters for weeks. Once he finally did, the results were good but not quite what he was looking for from his first Grapefruit League start.
The Mets right-hander who came over from Japan this winter had only faced hitters on his own team until Sunday when the Mets faced the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. His first start of spring was a B-game on the backfields over the club’s Clover Park complex in Port St. Lucie which lacked some of the competition he was looking for.
After spending the winter getting used to the Major League ball and the last two weeks adjusting to a steeper mound, the 30-year-old Japanese phenom wanted to see how his stuff would play against some of baseball’s best hitters.
He looked at the Cardinals lineup and found a few of them: Reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and power-hitting prospect Jordan Walker, who hit two home runs 24 hours earlier.
He handled those three well, getting Walker to strike out on his infamous “ghost fork” splitter. But the two batters before them he walked. And in the second inning, Tres Barrera hit a home run. The excitement waned.
“They have a very good lineup and before I got up there, I was very excited to face those guys,” he said through a translator. “But once I was up there, my mind was filled with the pitch clock and I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.”
Senga finished with a final line of one earned run on one hit, one strikeout and two walks. He didn’t think he was as sharp as he could be.
“Nothing, in particular, was that great,” Senga said. “But it’s something to work on for next time.”
He sure picked an interesting year to come to the Major Leagues. Most Mets pitchers have embraced the clock, even if they are still figuring out ways to adjust to it. The hitters might still be figuring it out, but the reception has been largely positive in the Mets’ clubhouse. Each pitcher seems to have a different approach to baseball’s newest and most controversial rule.
Justin Verlander wants to get into a rhythm. Max Scherzer wants to use it to play chess with the hitters. The relievers aren’t concerned with it, but a few are concerned with the time it might take to get to the mound and whether or not they should be increasing the amount of cardio they do.
Senga worked with the pitch clock in his spring bullpen sessions, his live batting practice sessions and in that simulated game he played last week. But once the reality of the game set in, everything seemed to speed up on him.
However, Senga still felt that the outing was beneficial.
“I see five on the pitch clock and I feel very rushed,” he said. “But in reality, five seconds is quite a long time.”
Manager Buck Showalter couldn’t tell that Senga had any problems with the pitch clock. It wasn’t obvious, but Senga can be critical of himself.
Senga isn’t discouraged by the outing and Showalter likes his attitude. The manager said pitchers often search for perfection and while that drive is never a bad thing, he could afford to go easier on himself right now. Coming stateside means a lot of changes, but so far Senga has embraced them all.
The affable Senga has been frequenting a restaurant called Sushi Goma in Port St. Lucie and has sent several teammates and staffers there well. Mark Canha liked it so much he posted about it on Instagram and gave the place a shout-out on an SNY broadcast. Senga’s English is improving and he’s comfortable showing his personality and humor in the clubhouse. A few teammates said he was a hit at Showalter’s infamous team talent show earlier this week.
On the field, he watched Scherzer’s outing against the Miami Marlins earlier this week, paying close attention to how Scherzer was working with the clock and attacking hitters he’ll be facing often in the NL East.
“Just watching him, I was able to see how great of a pitcher he is,” Senga said. “It gave me a goal to work towards.”
It’s clear that his stuff plays and if he can command it within 15-20 seconds, then the Mets may have themselves another bonafide ace.
“He’s good, man. Good fastball,” Arenado told St. Louis reporters. “Thought the slider was really good. Obviously, he was a little erratic in that first inning, but he seems like he’s got plus stuff and it seems like he’s going to be really good for them.”
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