Mets plan to pitch Kodai Senga in NLCS Game 5 against Dodgers
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) in the first inning during Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Oct. 13, 2024 Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Nearing the end of his weird year, Kodai Senga is getting another shot.
The Mets plan to pitch Senga in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series against the Dodgers on Friday, manager Carlos Mendoza said, though the team has not committed to whether that will be a start of if he will appear out of the bullpen.
Either way, Senga is scheduled to get the ball again after opening the series with a short, messy outing that set the Mets back.
“Why are we pitching him? He’s an ace, man,” Mendoza said. “This is a guy that we saw making a start against [Atlanta in July] and he was lights out. He pitched against the Phillies [in the NLDS] and when he was throwing 96, 97 [mph] — it was one pitch that [Kyle] Schwarber got him, but other than that he was pretty good.
“Then we’re reacting off one outing that he didn’t have it. So I’m pretty confident giving him the ball.”
As Senga ramped up for a return late in the regular season — which wound up not coming until early in the postseason — the Mets publicly never ruled out a bullpen role, especially since he was not prepared to throw full, normal starts. But privately, they did not view Senga serving as a reliever as particularly realistic, in part because he is so finnicky about preparing for a game.
So why seemingly consider doing so now, when the stakes are higher than ever?
“We’re in the playoffs,” Mendoza said. “I never thought that he was going to be a player for us, one. And now, because of where we’re at, you’re going to need somebody to start the game. He’s an ace.”
Aces start games.
“That’s right. That’s why there’s a chance he starts on Game 5.”
It’s not clear whether the Mets are actually considering Senga pitching out of the bullpen or if that is mere gamesmanship, forcing the Dodgers to wonder.
Among the variables: the availability of starters-turned-temporary-relievers David Peterson and Tylor Megill. Either is a viable option for Game 5, but that will depend on if the Mets have to use them in Game 3 and Game 4.
Mendoza said the Mets won’t finalize their Game 5 starter until after Game 4 late Thursday night.
“I’m managing to win today’s game,” Mendoza said. “I’m managing to win tomorrow’s game and we’ll see where we’re at.”
Limited by shoulder, triceps and calf injuries, Senga pitched in one regular-season game. Then he returned to face the Phillies in the Division Series. When he started Game 1 of the NLCS in Los Angeles on Sunday, he was a mess — because of faulty mechanics, he said, not anything health-related.
Senga threw 30 pitches but just 10 strikes. He allowed three runs, two hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings.
“A lot of factors go into it, but the biggest thing might be mechanical error,” Senga said through an interpreter that night. “Now I just need to reflect back on what happened today and make adjustments so I can have a better outing next time.”
Upon exiting, Senga threw additional pitches off the field, sort of a simulated third inning. So if he is pitching well, he could “hopefully” contribute as many as four innings Friday, Mendoza said.
Senga appearing in relief would be tricky, but Mendoza said team officials already have discussed the possibility with him.
“He said he pitched in Japan out of the bullpen, so it’s not going to be the first time he’s done that, if we ask him to do that,” Mendoza said. “It’s kind of the same treatment that we’re giving Megill, that we’re giving Petey, where we’re going to have to be extra careful when we are making that decision. If we get him up, most likely he’s going to come in and pitch in that game.”
The Mets are ready to take their chances.
“At times, if something is off, you’re going to see games like [last time],” Mendoza said. “But if he’s right, he could be lights out.”
Notes & quotes: The Mets’ only lineup change for Game 3 was plugging in J.D. Martinez at DH. He had sat out the first two games. “J.D. is a really good hitter,” Mendoza said. “He's a big reason why we're where we're at now. We're going to need him. And I thought today was a good match-up for him” . . . Pete Alonso, wearing a “Playoff Pumpkin” hoodie that he is selling on his website, said he still is carrying his Wisconsin-picked pumpkin around — with his own hands. “Because it could be destroyed in my luggage,” he said . . . Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ Game 4 starter, on spurning the Mets’ contract offer last offseason: “I did meet them a couple times...because I had a good impression, which made it a little hard to make a decision. It's a wonderful organization.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
