Kodai Senga Strikes out 8 in New York Mets Debut
MIAMI - He lived up to expectations.
After a shaky first inning, Kodai Senga was able to settle down and deliver a strong start against the Marlins in what was his Mets and MLB debut on Sunday.
Senga threw a total of 88 pitches, going 5.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits, and three walks, while picking up eight strikeouts.
And Senga's famous ghost fork ball was as good as advertised, as it resulted in all eight of his strikeouts on the day.
Senga's eight strikeouts were tied with the late, great Tom Seaver for the third-most in an MLB debut in Mets history.
Two batters into the game, Senga gave up a run in the first inning on a Jorge Soler double. He then found himself in a bases loaded jam with nobody out. Luckily, he was able to get out of it without allowing any additional runs.
"Definitely a lot of nerves," Senga said of his first inning. "My legs felt like a ghost. Once I got into that little bit of a pinch, I started to settle down and calm myself down a little bit."
Although it took the righty 36 pitches to get through the first, he settled down to retire 15 out of the final 17 batters he faced.
Senga picked up his first career win, as the Mets won 5-1.
Overall, it was a successful day for Senga, who worked through some early turbulence to deliver a solid start in his first outing as a Met and big-leaguer.
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