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Kodai Senga Found His Errant Eephus Pitch Extremely Funny

Just a bit high.

Kyle Koster

Mets pitcher Kodai Senga could only laugh after unusual pitch.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga could only laugh after unusual pitch. / SNY
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The New York Mets staked starting pitcher Kodai Senga a 3-0 lead against the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.

Pitching with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the second, Senga decided it was the perfect opportunity to explore the space with a 2-2 eephus pitch to José Tena. It didn't go as expected, as the righthanded hurler tentatively sailed a 50 MPH lollipop several feet above the intended strike zone.

No one was more amused by the misfire than Senga, who could only laugh as he got the return thrown from his catcher. He was able to get the third out of the inning on the very next pitch, which was clocked as a 95 MPH fastball.

The lesson? Try new things. Even if they don't work out it can provide a chance to make your friends chuckle. And yourself.

Now opposing teams are going to have to put this weapon in their scouting reports. Not because it appears to be particularly effective, but so they don't step on the punchline.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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