Kodai Senga was manhandled in Game 1 of the NLCS between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Senga worked one and half innings and walked Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teóscar Hernández. Then a single by Max Muncy drove in two runs. The bewildered Japanese pitcher later gave up a single to Ohtani that scored a third run in the second inning, and that was all she wrote.
The Dodgers would hit the Mets for three runs in the fourth and three runs in the eighth, taking home a comfortable 9-0 win in Game 1. Senga was sent to the mound after a decent run of form against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he only allowed a home run to Kyle Schwarber.
At $14 million a season, the decorated NPB All-Star will need to give the Mets more than a 13-7 record come next season. Senga’s poor form in Game 1 has Mets manager Carlos Mendoza seriously considering whether he will give Senga Game 5, if the series gets that far.
Mets Bats Fail to Produce in Game 1 of the NLCS
“(Senga) just didn’t have it together,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, disappointed after the game. The Mets’ bats also didn’t do much to help their cause, with Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, and Pete Alonso going hitless, striking out four times.
To many reporters, Senga failed to produce in the biggest start of his MLB career, and while a bounce-back could happen, Mendoza may not risk it in Game 5.
It is important to remember that back in 1988, when the Dodgers faced the Mets in the NLCS, David Cone had a horrific Game 2 on the mound for the Mets. He bounced back in Game 6 with a magnificent shutout performance, but he had a 20-3 regular season record to back up his claim for a second chance—something Senga severely lacks.