MIAMI — Kodai Senga was lights-out by means of 4 1/3 innings in his MLB debut when you don’t depend the primary one.
A recreation that noticed a tough first inning for the Mets ended with a win within the Japanese right-hander’s MLB debut Sunday at LoanDeport Park. Senga (1-0) settled in to appear like the dominant pitcher he was in Japan, limiting the Marlins to solely a single run over 5 1/3 innings, hanging out eight and strolling three within the Mets’ 5-1 win. He joined Matt Harvey and Collin McHugh as the one Mets pitchers to strike out eight or extra hitters and solely enable one or fewer runs of their MLB debut.
Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 together with his first dwelling run of the season off Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers (0-1) and likewise had a double, two RBI, a stroll, a run scored and a stolen base.
The Mets noticed Senga a 2-0 lead within the first, due to an RBI single by Jeff McNeil and an error by Rogers. Senga wanted 36 pitches to get by means of the primary inning and threw 28 earlier than even recording an out. His management was in all places and he was falling behind in counts.
Senga fell behind on 2022 AL batting champ Luis Arraez, the Marlins’ leadoff man, earlier than night the depend and making an attempt to place him away with the vaunted ghost fork. Arraez poked it up the center.
The subsequent ghost fork obtained previous catcher Tomas Nido and Arraez superior on the wild pitch, placing him in place to attain simply on Jorge Soler’s double to proper area.
With the Mets’ lead reduce in half, Senga issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. Was this what the Mets have been paying Senga $75 million over 5 years for? Players don’t come over from Japan or wherever else with the assure that they are going to succeed. The solely factor assured is the cash the groups are paying them. The Mets have a historical past of dangerous contracts and dangerous contract timing.
With the bases loaded and none out, it was pure to surprise, was this a type of contracts? Would Senga turn out to be yet one more Mets mistake?
But then Yuli Gurriel was so flummoxed on a forkball he swung by means of strike three and misplaced management of his bat within the course of. Senga retired the following two with a purpose to get out of the inning with just one run allowed.
Senga walked Jacob Stallings to steer off the second, however obtained Joey Wendle out and McNeil made a implausible flip to show an inning-ending double play. He wanted solely seven pitches to get by means of the third inning, and he raised his fists to salute proper fielder Starling Marte after he caught a sinking line drive for the third out.
As it seems, the ghost fork performs: He threw eight of them for third strikes.
Pham was inserted into the lineup to spell Brandon Nimmo for a day, batting leadoff and enjoying heart area. His dwelling run got here within the fifth after Tim Locastro was hit by a pitch to steer off the inning. He took Rogers again 433 ft to place the Mets up 4-1. Pham doubled dwelling Locastro within the sixth inning after the outfielder was hit by a pitch for the second time within the recreation, this time by Huascar Brazoban.
The Mets took the primary collection of the season 3-1 and can head to Milwaukee subsequent for a three-game set towards the Brewers earlier than returning dwelling Thursday to open the 2023 dwelling slate.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com