Mets' Kodai Senga is injured in a reversal of fortune at Citi Field
Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga raises his cap as he walks off the field after being injured during the sixth inning of an MLB game against Atlanta at Citi Field on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Well, that took a turn.
Kodai Senga, who was brilliant in his first start of the season, injured himself while running away from a pop-up in the sixth inning of the Mets’ 8-4 victory over Atlanta on Friday night at Citi Field.
Senga was clearing out from the mound area on the pop-up when he went down in a heap and grabbed his lower left leg. The Mets later announced that he suffered a left calf strain.
Even though Senga got up and limped to the dugout under his own power, the jubilant mood that had filled Citi Field quickly turned sour.
You’ve probably heard some version of this lament before: Why can’t the Mets have nice things?
That had to be what the home fans among the crowd of 34,673 were thinking. Senga was outstanding in his first start after a long rehab from a spring training shoulder injury.
And then he was on the grass, in obvious pain, a ticket back to the injured list strapped to his calf.
Senga will undergo an MRI on Saturday.
“Our prayers are with Senga right now,” Mark Vientos said.
Senga was unavailable for comment after the game as he underwent treatment.
As Pete Alonso settled under the pop-up hit by Austin Riley for the first out of the sixth inning, all eyes turned to Senga.
Catcher Francisco Alvarez was asked what Senga said after he went down.
“I don’t speak Japanese,” Alvarez said. “I don’t know.’’
But “ow” translates into any language.
Manager Carlos Mendoza repeatedly said the Mets have to “see what we’re dealing with” before announcing a timetable for Senga’s second start.
“Hopefully it’s nothing too serious,” Mendoza said. “But [calf injuries] can be tricky. So we’ve got to wait and see.”
Mendoza said there was no indication of Achilles involvement, which would be more serious.
Senga allowed two runs and two hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out nine in 5 1⁄3 terrific innings. He gave up a two-run home run by Adam Duvall in the second to put the Mets in a 2-0 hole, but he didn’t allow another hit and retired his last 10 batters.
“He was pretty impressive,” Mendoza said. “Watching him pitch. The fastball. The command of his pitches. The splitter. He dominated today. You hate to see him going down like that, especially what he’s been through the whole year. But people will step up if he’s down.”
The Mets scored seven runs in the third on three home runs — a grand slam by J.D. Martinez, a two-run shot by Vientos and a solo blast by Alvarez, all off Charlie Morton.
It was 8-2 when Senga departed after 73 pitches, a victory seemingly all but certain. A big one for the Mets, who moved past Atlanta into the top National League wild-card spot with their fifth straight win.
“Pretty good game overall,” Mendoza said. “Special night.”
A calf strain likely means a return to the injured list for Senga. Remember, his rehab from the shoulder injury took longer than expected because Senga stopped the clock when he felt his mechanics were off. What was first thought to be a two-month absence stretched to almost four.
But the Mets were thrilled to get their ace back and thrilled with his performance on the mound on Friday. It was his performance getting off the mound and out of the way of the infielders going after the fateful pop-up that needs work.
By the bottom of the eighth, as Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” filled the stadium, the party atmosphere was back, and fans stuck around for postgame fireworks.
When the fireworks were over, smoke lingered over Citi Field. In the clubhouse, concern lingered for Senga.
Asked how worried he is, Alvarez said: “A lot . . . I want him healthy.”
Senga’s pitching allowed Mets fans to dream about what this team might be able to accomplish this season. Even before Friday’s win, the Mets had a 59.1% chance of making the postseason and a 1.8% chance of winning the World Series.
A healthy Senga would increase both of those odds.
But a healthy Senga is a sight Mets fans got to behold for only 5 1⁄3 innings on Friday night. It’s anyone’s guess when they’ll see it again in 2024.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.