Mets’ Kodai Senga details first Fenway Park experience in rain-shortened outing
Kodai Senga has had a lot of firsts this season with the Mets, but Friday night gave the righty a new one.
Friday saw the Japanese native pitch at Fenway Park for the first time, a park that has dimensions and eccentricities that can take even the best hurler aback. Whether it’s Pesky’s Pole in right field, which stands just 302 feet from home plate -- the shortest outfield distance in the majors -- or the Green Monster in left field, a lot of would-be fly balls could spell trouble for pitchers.
And the ballpark got him during his rain-shortened outing, but he admitted after the game that he didn’t have the start after giving up a first-inning run that put the Red Sox in front 1-0.
“I allowed a run right from the get go so it didn’t start too hot,” Senga said after his start through an interpreter. “But the offense got my back and they scored more runs than I allowed. It was only the first part of the game but I thought we ended on a high note.”
The offense certainly had Senga’s back on this night. After a two-run double from Yu Chang put Boston up 3-0 after two innings -- more on that shortly -- two run shots from Brandon Nimmo and Daniel Vogelbach in the third and fourth put the Mets in front.
Chang’s two-out double came on a 1-2 fastball high in the zone that the right-handed shortstop got around on. It looked like it would be a fly ball, but this is Fenway and it wound up bouncing off the middle of the Green Monster allowing two runners to score.
“Some people in the clubhouse told me ‘welcome to the big leagues, that’s what the big leagues are about,’” Senga said about the double. “Also, it wasn’t my best pitch, I missed my location. It is what it is.”
Senga explained that he’s aware of the dimensions of ballparks he pitches in, but his pitches and location are what matter more to him and, in his opinion, are what differentiates good starts from bad.
He did admit, though, his first thought was that he could have gotten out of the inning.
“At first thought, I said he was jammed and he might be out. My second thought it got to me that we’re playing at Fenway so I wasn’t sure what would happen,” he said.
Senga came back out in the fourth to try and give his team some length after the offense gave him back the lead, but the heavens opened up and Friday’s game was suspended, after nearly a two-hour delay, with one out in the fourth.
Although he won’t factor into the decision when play resumes Saturday, Senga has had a great rookie season for the Mets. Going into Friday’s start, the 30-year-old was 7-5 with a 3.20 ERA, giving up just six runs in 24.1 innings pitched over his last four starts.
Although he wasn’t able to complete his start, Senga is sure to take his Fenway experience with him and learn from it.
“If I make the pitch I want to make and they hit it, props to them,” he said. “But today I missed and they hit it. It’s on me.”
