This is the Kodai Senga game. For the last time this year we get to see Kodai Senga pitch as he makes the case to be the Rookie of the year. Kodai was always good this season, but about midway through the season, towards the end of June, things started to click and his performance jumped to the next level.
Kodai Senga makes his last start in his amazing rookie year today for the New York Mets. Over 28 starts he has thrown 161 1/3 innings with a 2.96 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.221 WHIP and a 143 ERA+. In his last 14 starts since June 28th he has thrown 84 2/3 innings, striking out 101 batters with a 2.44 ERA, 3.00 FIP. Since August 19th he has pitched in six games throwing 38 2/4 innings while striking out 45 batters with a 1.86 ERA. This includes his last start against the Marlins where he held them to two runs from seven hits over six innings of work. He has truly been one of the bright spots of this season. The Marlins have the following career numbers against him:
- Jazz Chisholm 2-8, HR, 3 K, BB
- Jorge Soler 3-8, 2B, 3 K, BB
- Bryan De La Cruz 1-5, K
- Jon Berti 2-6, K
- Luis Arraez 3-5, BB
- Jacob Stallings 0-3, 2 K, BB
- Jesús Sánchez 0-5, 3 K
- Garrett Hampson 0-1, K, BB
- Josh Bell 1-3, HR
- Yuil Gurriel 0-2, K
- Xavier Edwards 0-2
Johnny Cueto makes the start in the nightcap for the Marlins. Cueto has pitched in 12 games, making nine starts this year tossing 48 innings with a 6.19 ERA, 6.92 FIP, 1.271 WHIP and a 73 ERA+. Since rejoining the team in September he has pitched 15 2/3 innings over three starts and two relief outings with a 7.47 ERA (8.24 FIP). This includes two innings against the Mets back on the 20th where he allowed two runs over two innings from three hits (both runs coming on homers). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Brandon Nimmo 1-3, 2B, HR, BB
- Omar 3-7, HR
- Francisco Lindor 1-3, BB
- Pete Alonso 1-4
- Rafael Ortega 1-3
- Tim Locastro 1-3
- Jeff McNeil 0-3, K
- Daniel Vogelbach 2-3, 2B
- Brett Baty 1-1, HR
- Ronny Mauricio 0-1
- Mark Vientos 0-1
Three Things To Watch For:
- 200 Strikeouts. Kodai Senga sits right now at 194 strikeouts for the season, so close to 200. He only needs six more, something he’s done a lot this season, to reach this magic number. Last time out against the Marlins he only struck out two batters.
- A sub-3.00 ERA. Senga has been so effective his last few starts that his ERA has dipped below the 3.00 mark. A slightly better than quality start today should lock that number in for the season. This is really due to his 1.86 ERA in starts since August 19th.
- That ghostfork for one more game in 2023. When the Mets signed Senga in the off-season, videos of Senga’s ghostfork went viral online. We’ve seen Senga mix his ghostfork and fastball to get some absolutely silly swings from batters. We cannot wait to see his signature pitch tonight, one last time this season.
Let’s Go Mets!
