PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – On a 78-degree Friday evening at Clover Park, the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals played to a 3-3 tie in Grapefruit League action.
Japanese right-hander Kodai Senga made his second start of the spring as he continues preparing for the 2025 season. The 32-year-old, born in Gamagori, Aichi, Japan, is entering his third year with the Mets after signing a five-year, $75 million contract on Dec. 17, 2022.
Before coming to Major League Baseball, Senga spent 11 seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, pitching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 2012 to 2022.
Senga is part of the Mets’ rotation competition, vying for a spot alongside Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning, Frankie Montas, David Peterson, and Tylor Megill.
The Mets, now 8-10-2 this spring, will continue their Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday, March 15, against the Washington Nationals at Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla. They will take the field at 6:05 p.m. EDT.
According to Baseball Savant, Senga uses a six-pitch arsenal. His four-seam fastball accounts for 39.7 percent of his pitches with 29 thrown. His forkball makes up 32.9 percent with 24 pitches, followed by his cutter at 16.4 percent with 12 pitches, his sweeper at 6.8 percent with five pitches, and his slider at 2.7 percent.
Senga needed only seven pitches in the first inning, throwing six fastballs and one slider while recording four strikes.
In the second inning, he threw 16 pitches, landing eight for strikes. He mixed his breaking pitches effectively, using five sweepers, one cutter, and one forkball.
In the third inning, Senga surrendered a two-run home run to Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo on the sixth pitch of the at-bat. The 356-foot shot to left-center came off an 83.7 mph sweeper.
With no outs in the third inning, Michael Helman led off with a double off Senga and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Yohel Pozo followed with a two-run home run to left-center field, a 356-foot shot off an 83.7 mph sweeper, giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.
Senga rebounded by striking out Victor Scott II on an ABS challenge, which upheld the call as the pitch caught the lower outside corner.
After the strikeout, José Fermín lined a single to right field, prompting Mendoza to pull Senga with one out and a runner on first. Carlos Guzman took over in relief and finished the inning by striking out José Barrero and inducing a lineout from Nolan Gorman.
In a rare spring training move, Senga returned to the mound to start the fourth inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Luken Baker, then allowed a double to Matt Koperniak, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
Senga escaped the jam without allowing a run. Ryan Vilade flied out to right, Michael Helman popped out to second, and Pozo popped out to the catcher in foul territory to end the inning.
His outing officially ended after 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs, and one strikeout on 53 pitches, 30 for strikes. Reed Garrett took over in the fifth.