What Kodai Senga had to say about the strong ending to his rookie season with Mets
NEW YORK — Kodai Senga allowed himself to soak in the moment.
With a runner on base and two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Senga dialed in his patented forkball and got Marlins No. 3 hitter Jake Burger to go fishing in the dirt. After securing his 200th strikeout of the season and ending the inning, Senga gestured to Mets fans behind the dugout.
When Senga learned about the 200-strikeout milestone, it became something he wanted to attain.
When he achieved it on Wednesday night against at Citi Field, the Japanese sensation became only the second Mets rookie to strike out 200 in a season, joining Dwight Gooden, who accomplished the feat in 1984 on his way to grabbing National League Rookie of the Year honors.
Senga will certainly be in that discussion following his final start of the 2023 season. He will finish his first season in Major League Baseball with a a 12-7 record and an ERA of 2.98. The latter is currently second-best in the National League behind the Padres' Blake Snell (2.25).
"Honestly, going into the season, I had no expectations," Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. "I had no idea what I was capable of. When it comes to numbers, I had no idea. I was more brought to a realization when you guys ask and talk about certain numbers and milestones that I had hit throughout the year and it was really you guys that brought it to my attention."
In his first season adjusting to the unique elements of MLB, Senga made 29 starts and amassed 166⅓ innings. He finished with 202 strikeouts.
Fitting ending for Kodai Senga
Senga's major league career took off during the season-opening series against the Marlins in Miami. He battled some shaky command but still managed to settle in and pin down eight strikeouts across 5.1 innings.
Wednesday was Senga's fourth start against the Marlins and his second straight over the last two weeks. After only striking out three batters last time, Senga needed six strikeouts to eclipse the vaunted number. He achieved it by the third inning.
"He managed to work his way through that (first) outing and then after that it was just a matter of continuing to learn swings and approach," Francisco Lindor said about what stood out about Senga. "Now, the Marlins had a great plan against him last time and they didn’t really strike out. Today, facing them again for the fourth time this year, and just maneuvering his way around to try to get to those 200 Ks and finishing with a less than 3.00 ERA, it’s not easy."
The only damage against Senga in the second half of the teams' doubleheader was a leadoff home run to Jon Berti and a solo home run to Jesus Sanchez in the top of the fourth inning. During a stretch between the first and third innings, Senga notched five straight strikeouts — three on his fastball, one on his forkball and another on his cutter.
Senga showed his resolve in the top of the fifth inning, allowing runners to reach the corners following a walk and single, but struck out Burger for the second time on a fastball to close his outing with two earned runs allowed on three hits and three walk with eight strikeouts.
It was Senga's 16th straight outing with three earned runs or fewer allowed.
"He’s worked so hard to make everybody proud of his efforts. With his background and path, it’s pretty remarkable," Buck Showalter said. "I’m glad he’s with us. He’s done so many things in the clubhouse. He’s part of a good group, I hope, going forward. We’re lucky to have him next year. We worked very hard to create a good path for him and he responded well."
Adjusting and moving forward
With a strong foundation in place, Senga can now look ahead to preparing for the 2024 season.
The Mets handled him carefully throughout the season, only allowing him to pitch three times on normal rest and that enabled him to stay healthy over the whole season.
"As I got more and more used to the season and more and more used to the league, the longer rest started to feel a little bit long sometimes," Senga said, "but I learned a lot this year. Moving forward, now that I know what a full regular season feels like moving into next, hopefully whether it be longer rest or not, I can get through the rotation healthy."
With that dependability, Senga seemingly shifted into an ace role for the Mets over the final two months of the season.
As opponents begin to familiarize themselves with Senga's approach, he's looking to chisel his arsenal in the offseason. And he's hoping that the success will continue, not only for himself but for the rest of the Mets team.
"Hopefully I’m no longer the ace because we get good free agents or good trades to top off our rotation," Senga said jokingly. "It’s hard to throw for personal goals. Hopefully the team’s going to be a more winning team next year and going into next year I want to improve from this year and whether I'm the ace or not, I want to keep growing and get better."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: What Kodai Senga said about his finish to 2023 season
