Mets start Kodai Senga in Game 1 of NLDS against Phillies

Mets star Kodai Senga will start at least as many times in the postseason as he did in the regular season: New York has signed Senga to start Game 1 of their National League Division Series against the Phillies on Saturday.

Senga made just one start for the Mets during the regular season. He injured his right shoulder before the start of Grapefruit League games in spring training, and problems with his mechanics and triceps delayed his return until late July. When he made his season debut, he looked great in 5 1/3 innings against Atlanta – only to strain his calf and land right back on the 60-day injured list.

Senga had been working toward a return toward the end of the regular season, and the Mets were prepared for him to start a game in the final week of the season, if possible. But another triceps push pushed him back again.

Senga has thrown just one inning in a game since starting in July against the Braves: a rehab appearance for Triple-A Syracuse in late September. Since then, he has hosted bullpen sessions and live batting practice for the Mets.

Senga is not used as a traditional starter. Think of him more as an opener who will probably only play an inning or two. The Mets could follow him with right-hander Tylor Megill, who was initially expected to be the Game 1 starter, or left-hander David Peterson, who threw eight pitches to end Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Brewers on Thursday night.

“We’ll let it play out,” manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters about how long Senga might pitch.

“I’m ready for anything,” Senga told reporters through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “If they say 10 pitches, I’m all in with 10 pitches. If they say 200, I’m in for 200.”

Senga regularly starred in the postseason in Japan. In 19 postseason appearances in Nippon Professional Baseball, he posted a 1.78 ERA.

While the Mets rotation has performed admirably over the course of the season, no one in it can reach the ceiling of Senga, who received Cy Young Award votes in his rookie season in 2023. Senga made two starts against Philadelphia last year. He pitched seven one-hit innings his first time out in Queens, then allowed four runs (two earned) in 5 1/3 frames at Citizens Bank Park in June. He was particularly tough on leader Kyle Schwarber, who scored four goals in six attacks against Senga.

After their Wild Card Series victory, the Mets had wondered how worthwhile it would be to promote Senga to the NLDS roster if he could only pitch a few innings in five games.

With Senga and Megill both joining the NLDS roster, the Mets will have to remove two pitchers who were on the wild-card roster. Longman Max Kranick, who did not play for the club in the regular season, is considered one of them. Substitutes Danny Young, Huascar Brazobán or Adam Ottavino could be the others; None of the three appeared in the series against Milwaukee.

Luis Severino will start Game 2 for the Mets.

(Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)