Within the wake of the New York Mets dramatic 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Sport 3 of the wild-card sequence, all the eye was on Pete Alonso’s inconceivable go-ahead, three-run home run within the ninth inning. You would be forgiven if the information that injured Mets ace Kodai Senga is returning for the Nationwide League Division Sequence went beneath your radar.
Senga hasn’t pitched since his lone begin in July in opposition to the Atlanta Braves, the place he sustained a calf damage that put him on the shelf for the remainder of the common season. This was after getting back from a strained posterior capsule in his proper shoulder that left him off the roster for the opening months of 2024.
In that lone begin, he recorded 9 strikeouts and allowed only a pair of runs in 5.1 innings. A wholesome Senga is among the Mets’ most proficient pitchers. He posted a 2.98 ERA with 202 strikeouts in 2023, thanks largely to his signature ghost fork pitch.
A variation on a conventional forkball, upon launch, Senga’s ghost fork appears to be like prefer it’s heading for a hittable a part of the strike zone till it dips down on the final second, giving the looks of a disappearing pitch — much like a ghost.
In October baseball, your entire pitching workers must be able to go at any time, and starters can discover themselves being closers. Working example, Mets starter David Peterson was referred to as in to get the save on Thursday, whereas conventional nearer Edwin Diaz pitched by the seventh and eighth innings as a substitute.
It might additionally match the storybook season of the Mets; the battered ace returns to supply his workforce with essential outs to safe a win in opposition to a longtime division rival. On the opposite facet of the equation, if Senga cannot ship, the Mets shall be pressured to stretch a skinny bullpen in opposition to a Philadelphia Phillies lineup anchored by harmful hitters like Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
It is a high-risk, high-reward state of affairs the Mets discover themselves in, however it’s clear the 2024 Mets thrive on the sting and strongly imagine their gamers to step up when referred to as upon. If Senga can reply that decision is a storyline each groups will comply with intently this weekend.
