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Kodai Senga

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Kodai Senga
Senga with the Mets in 2023
New York Mets – No. 34
Pitcher
Born: (1993-01-30) January 30, 1993 (age 31)
Gamagōri, Aichi, Japan
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Professional debut
NPB: April 30, 2012, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
MLB: April 2, 2023, for the New York Mets
NPB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Win–loss record87–44
Earned run average2.59
Strikeouts1,252
Saves1
Holds20
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Win–loss record13–7
Earned run average2.99
Strikeouts211
Teams
Career highlights and awards
NPB
MLB
Other
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Japan
Summer Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team

Kodai Senga (千賀 滉大, Senga Kōdai, born January 30, 1993) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut in 2012 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and played for them until 2022. He is a three-time NPB All-Star and a one-time MLB All-Star.

Senga finished second in National League (NL) Rookie of the Year voting in 2023.

Early life

[edit]

Senga was born in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, where he started playing rubber-ball baseball as a third baseman until he graduated from middle school, then switched from third baseman to pitcher due to the manager of Gamagori High School baseball club, who saw the quality of Senga's throwing fitting more as a pitcher. Although Senga and his team never made it to either Japanese High School Baseball Championship or Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament in Koshien Stadium, the owner of a sporting goods store in Nagoya recommended Senga to Kazuo Ogawa, then-the scout manager of Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, as a potential player to be drafted.

Professional career

[edit]

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

[edit]
Senga with the Hawks in 2012

On October 28, 2010, Senga was drafted as a developmental player by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the 2010 Nippon Professional Baseball draft with Takuya Kai and Taisei Makihara.[3][4][5]

2011–2015

[edit]

From 2011 to mid-2012, he played in informal matches against the Shikoku Island League Plus's teams, other amateur baseball teams, and played in the Western League of NPB's second league.

On April 23, 2012, he signed a 4.4 million yen contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as a registered player under control.[6] On April 30, Senga debuted in the Pacific League against the Chiba Lotte Marines as a starter.[7] In 2012 season, he pitched two games in the Pacific League.

Senga in 2013

In a game against the Saitama Seibu Lions on May 12, 2013, Senga pitched as a relief pitcher and obtained his first win as a pitcher.[8] In the 2013 season, he tied the Pacific League record of consecutive no-Run innings (34+1⁄3 innings) by a relief pitcher.[9] On July 19, he participated in the All-Star Game for the first time in MAZADA All-Star Game 2013.[10] On September 4, he left the team with a strain on his left flank and spent the rest of the season rehabilitating.[11] Senga recorded 51 Games pitched, a 1–4 Win–loss record, a 2.40 ERA, 17 Holds, one save, and 85 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.

In the 2014 season, Senga pitched as a reliever, but on June 15 he hurt his right shoulder and spent the rest of the season rehabilitating his right shoulder.[12] He finished the regular season with a 19 Games pitched, a 1–1 Win–loss record, a 1.99 ERA, 3 Holds, and 28 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.

In the 2015 season, Senga pitched in the Pacific League in August, partly due to the rehabilitation of his right shoulder. On August 19, he got his first win as a starting pitcher,[13] finishing the regular season with 4 Games pitched, a 2–1 Win–loss record, a 0.40 ERA, and 21 strikeouts in 22.1 innings. In the 2015 Japan Series against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, he relief pitched in Games 3 and 4.[14][15]

2016–2020

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In the 2016 season, Senga pitched as a starting pitcher and finished the regular season with 25 Games pitched, a 12–3 Win–loss record, a 2.61 ERA, and 181 strikeouts in 169 innings. The 12 wins in the regular season were the most wins for a pitcher drafted as a developmental squad player and became an NPB record.[16]

On July 14, 2017, Senga participated in the mynavi All-Star Game for the 2nd time in his career.[17] In the 2017 season, he finished the regular season with a 13–4 Win–loss record, a 2.64 ERA, 151 strikeouts in 143 innings and won the 2017 Pacific League Winning percentage Championship (.765 Winning percentage).[18] In the 2017 Japan Series against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, he was the first pitcher from the developmental player to pitch as a starting pitcher in the opening game. Senga and Kai's battery were the first to win the Japan Series as players who were drafted as developmental players.[19]

In the opening game of the 2018 season against the Orix Buffaloes on March 30, 2018, Senga pitched his first Opening Day game as a starter.[20] On August 17, in the match against the Orix Buffaloes, he achieved his first shutout game.[21] Senga finished the regular season with 22 Games pitched, a 13–7 Win–loss record, a 3.51 ERA, and 163 strikeouts in 141 innings. In the 2018 Japan Series against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, he pitched in Game 1 and Game 5 as a starting pitcher and contributed to the team's second consecutive Japan Series championship, as well as their 4th in 5 years.[22]

In 2019, Senga attempted unsuccessfully to get the Hawks to post him to Major League Baseball.[23] The Hawks are the only NPB team to have never posted a player since the posting system was implemented in 1998. On July 12, 2019, Senga participated in the mynavi All-Star Game 2019 for the 3rd time.[24] On September 6, 2019, he pitched the second no-hitter in Hawks history, the first no-hitter for the Hawks since 1943.[25] Senga finished the regular season with 26 Games pitched, a 13–8 Win–loss record, a 2.79 ERA, and 227 strikeouts in 180.1 innings. In the 2019 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, he became the winning pitcher in Game 1 and contributed to the team's third consecutive Japan Series championship.[26] On November 26, Senga was honored for the Pacific League strikeout leader Award, Mitsui Golden Glove Award, and Pacific League Best Nine Award at the NPB AWARD 2019.[27][28]

In the match against the Chiba Lotte Marines on November 4, 2020, Senga recorded a total of 1,000 strikeouts.[29] In the 2020 season, Senga finished the regular season with 18 Games pitched, a 11–6 Win–loss record, a 2.16 ERA, and 149 strikeouts in 121 innings. In the 2020 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, he has pitched as a starting pitcher in the opening game of the Japan Series for the fourth consecutive year, being the first pitcher to do so since Tsuneo Horiuchi, and became the winning pitcher with no runs in seven innings, contributing to the team's fourth consecutive Japan Series championship.[30] Senga topped the Pacific League in Win–loss record, ERA and strikeouts and was honored at the Pacific League for the Most Wins Champion Award, Pacific League ERA leader Award and Pacific League strikeout leader Award, earning him a pitching triple crown, at the NPB Awards 2020 on December 17. He also won his second Best Nine Award and Golden Glove Award for the second consecutive year.[31][32] Despite the triple crown performance, his 11 wins (tied for most in Pacific League in 2020 between him, Shuta Ishikawa, and Hideaki Wakui), 2.16 ERA (which was beaten by Yūdai Ōno with a 1.82 ERA), and 149 strikeouts (most in NPB) were not enough to receive the Eiji Sawamura Award.[33] Following the conclusion of the 2020 season, Senga once again failed to get the Hawks to post him, instead obtaining a 100 million yen raise for the 2021 season.[34]

2021–2022

[edit]

Senga was once again marred by injuries in 2021 as the Hawks failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2013. However, he still managed a 10-3 record in 13 games pitched, a 2.66 ERA, and 90 strikeouts in 84.2 innings pitched. In the offseason, he signed a 5-year extension with an opt-out clause after the first season of the contract, as Senga would obtain International Free Agent rights following the conclusion of the 2022 season.[35]

In 2022, Senga went 11-6 in 22 games pitched, a personal best 1.94 ERA (as a starter), and 156 strikeouts in 144 innings pitched as the Hawks returned to the postseason but lost the Pacific League pennant to the Orix Buffaloes via tiebreaker. In the 2022 Pacific League Climax Series, Senga pitched 12 scoreless innings in two starts, helping propel the Hawks past the Lions in the First Stage and preventing the Hawks from getting swept by the Buffaloes in the Final Stage. Following the Pacific League Climax Series, Senga formally announced his intentions to exercise his international free agent rights and play in Major League Baseball in 2023.[36]

New York Mets

[edit]
Senga with the Mets in 2023

On December 17, 2022, Senga signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the New York Mets.[37][38] On April 2, 2023, he made his major-league debut against the Miami Marlins. He earned his first career victory after pitching 5 1/3 innings, giving up one run and striking out eight in a 5-1 Mets win.[39] Senga was named to the 2023 National League All-Star team on July 8, replacing Marcus Stroman.[40] On September 27, Senga recorded his 200th strikeout of the season against the Miami Marlins, becoming the first Mets rookie since Dwight Gooden to accomplish the feat.[41]

Senga finished second in voting for the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year Award.[42] He also was named to the Baseball Digest/eBay All-Star Rookie Award.[43]

On February 22, 2024, the Mets announced that Senga had been diagnosed with a moderate posterior capsule strain in his throwing shoulder and would begin the season on the injured list.[44] He was transferred to the 60–day injured list on April 10.[45] Senga was activated from the injured list on July 26 and made his first start of the season that evening.[46] He pitched 51⁄3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out nine batters, but suffered a high grade calf strain in the fifth inning, forcing his return to the injured list.[47] On September 22, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that Senga would be officially shut down for the remainder of the season.[48] However, on October 4, it was announced that he would be the Game 1 starter in the 2024 National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, scheduled for the following night.[49]

International career

[edit]

Senga represented the Japan national baseball team in the 2016 exhibition games against Mexico and Netherlands and 2017 World Baseball Classic.

In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, following the conclusion of the tournament, he was named to the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.[50][51]

On October 1, 2019, he was selected at the 2019 WBSC Premier12.[52] But he canceled his participation because of the accumulation of fatigue in the regular season.[53]

On July 5, 2020, he was selected to play for the Japanese national baseball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[54] He became a gold medalist by beating the United States in the final round, allowing no runs in two games.[55]

Playing style

[edit]

Senga is a 6 ft 1 in, 202 lb right-handed pitcher.[56] With a three-quarters[57] delivery he throws a fastball averaging nearly 96 mph[58] (tops out at 164 kph/101.9 mph in NPB[59]), a deceptive forkball,[60] a cutter, a slider, and an occasional curveball. Due to the effectiveness of his forkball, the pitch has been nicknamed "ghost fork(ball)" in Japan.[61][62] His forkball is also referenced in his pitching glove, which features a graphic of a ghost holding a pitchfork.[63]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The lowdown on Japanese righty Kodai Senga". MLB.com.
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  3. ^ "Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) 由規弟ら各球団育成選手一覧／ドラフト". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  4. ^ ja:2010年度新人選手選択会議 (日本プロ野球)
  5. ^ In the NPB, in addition to the 70 registered players under control (roster of players), each team can have developmental players for the purpose of improving their baseball skills and training manners. They aim to be promoted to registered players under control within the 3 year contract period (Non-tender FA players and contract expired players renew their contract every year).
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  35. ^ "Kodai Senga Has 2023 Opt-Out in New SoftBank Hawks Contract". December 5, 2021.
  36. ^ "ソフトバンク千賀は海外Ｆａ権の行使を明言「行使はします」". October 15, 2022.
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  46. ^ "Mets Designate Adrian Houser, Shintaro Fujinami For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
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  59. ^ "鷹・千賀滉大が自己最速の164キロ！　清宮への5球目、これまでの161キロを3キロ更新" (in Japanese). Full-Count. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  60. ^ "Japan beats Australia for second straight win at World Baseball Classic". March 9, 2017.
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  62. ^ "Kodai Senga, Potential Strikeout Machine". November 15, 2016.
  63. ^ "Mets' Kodai Senga wears ghost glove, dazzles in MLB debut". April 2, 2023.
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