{"id":87213,"date":"2024-10-04T15:45:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T19:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=87213"},"modified":"2024-10-04T16:12:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T20:12:32","slug":"kodai-senga-first-postseason-start-nlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/10\/04\/kodai-senga-first-postseason-start-nlds\/","title":{"rendered":"Unexpected Choice Gets Nod for Mets NLDS Game 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"x1y1wx1k x1v37x9x x78zum5 x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k x13a6bvl x9ek82g x1sxyh0\">\n<div class=\"x1qx5ct2 x1n2onr6 xw4jnvo x1e56ztr x1hc1fzr\">\n<div class=\"xtzzx4i x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x10l6tqk xwa60dl x11lhmoz\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xe0p6wg x14yy4lh xoww62b\">\n<div class=\"xjwf9q1\">\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ff1cvt xatrb82 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\">The National League Division Series kicks off on Saturday, and the New York Mets have made a bold move by naming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sengako01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kodai Senga<\/a> as their starter for Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies. This is a surprising decision, considering Senga has pitched only 5 1\/3 innings this season, with his lone start coming on July 26. <\/span>Senga&#8217;s debut was delayed due to a shoulder injury, and he was later placed on the injured list after suffering a calf strain in his only 2024 appearance \u00b2. Despite this, the Mets are counting on him to lead the charge in the postseason.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><strong>Kodai Senga to Start Game 1 of NLDS Against Phillies<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Senga has been working his way back to a return from a calf injury.<\/p>\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ff1cvt xatrb82 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\">Mets manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=mendoca01,mendoca99,mendoz005car&amp;search=Carlos+Mendoza&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Mendoza<\/a> mentioned that Senga had been building up in Florida, but didn&#8217;t specify any pitch or inning limits for Game 1. Before this announcement, Senga had thrown 25 pitches during a live bullpen session on Monday, but details on his subsequent work are scarce. <\/span>It&#8217;s worth noting that Senga made just one start during the regular season due to injuries, following a strong 2023 rookie campaign where he went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Kodai Senga is starting Game 1 of the NLDS tomorrow for the Mets <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nFOjRRdIKK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/nFOjRRdIKK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SNY (@SNYtv) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SNYtv\/status\/1842287272277750048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Mets have depth options behind Senga in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/peterda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Peterson<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/megilty01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tylor Megill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Mets Pitching Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/severlu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luis Severino<\/a> will start Game 2 on Sunday after pitching 5 innings in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Severino&#8217;s familiarity with postseason pressure and his ability to navigate the Phillies lineup will be crucial.<\/p>\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ff1cvt xatrb82 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\"><span style=\"background-color: #e1bee7;\">For Game 3 at Citi Field, the Mets can choose between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/manaese01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sean Manaea<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/q\/quintjo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose Quintana<\/a>.<\/span> Both left-handers boast impressive postseason experience and the ability to neutralize the Phillies&#8217; potent offense.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x1ff1cvt xatrb82 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\">However, the Mets&#8217; bullpen depth has been affected by Peterson&#8217;s relief appearance in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Peterson closed out the game, which may limit his availability for another contest in the NLDS. This could prompt manager Carlos Mendoza to explore alternative relief options. <\/span>The Mets&#8217; pitching strategy will be closely watched, particularly with Senga&#8217;s limited innings this season and Severino&#8217;s short rest. How Mendoza manages his staff will play a significant role in determining the outcome of the series.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Main Photo: \u00a9 Benny Sieu-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National League Division Series kicks off on Saturday, and the New York Mets have made a bold move by naming Kodai Senga as their starter for Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies. This is a surprising decision, considering Senga has pitched only 5 1\/3 innings this season, with his lone start coming on July [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3686,"featured_media":87214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22,1071,35],"tags":[4683,1332,379,6456,988,268,3075,5582],"class_list":["post-87213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mets","category-mlb","category-news","tag-carlos-mendoza","tag-david-peterson","tag-jose-quintana","tag-kodai-senga","tag-luis-severino","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-sean-manaea","tag-tylor-megill"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3686"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}