‘Ghost Fork’ Godai Senga, 29, overcame his worst pitching performance to rise up and save his team from a seven-game losing streak.
Senga started the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, on Nov. 11 (KST).토토사이트
Senga faced a Pittsburgh lineup of Andrew McCutchen (designated hitter), Brian Reynolds (left fielder), Conor Jo (right fielder), Carlos Santana (first baseman), Zack Swinski (center fielder), Key Brian Hayes (third baseman), Bae Ji-Hwan (second baseman), Tucupita Marcano (shortstop), Jason Delay (catcher), and starting pitcher Johan Oviedo.
Senga pitched strong early in the game. He left runners on base in the first and second innings, but induced a stolen base and a double play by catcher Francisco Alvarez to keep the game scoreless.
In the third inning, things got a little shaky. Two batters later, he gave up three straight singles to Delay-McCutchin-Reynolds to load the bases. The next batter, Cho, hit a well-pitched pitch to the walking track, but center fielder Brandon Nimmo made a perfect jumping catch to rob Cho of a hit.
After settling down, Senga gave up a run in the bottom of the fourth on a fielding error by second baseman Jeff McNeil to make it 1-1, but he didn’t allow a runner past first baseman Mark Cannon until the bottom of the seventh.
Senga’s final line was seven innings, two hits, four walks, six strikeouts, and one run (unearned). The team won 5-1 to pick up their sixth win of the season.
Brandon Nemo backed up Senga with an RBI single.
It was a day when both Senga and the team needed a turnaround. In his last start, on May 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Senga gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits (one home run) with five walks and three strikeouts in 2⅔ innings, his worst outing since joining the big leagues. The team is no better. They had recently lost seven straight games, including three-game series sweeps against Toronto and the Atlanta Braves.
It was clear that a turnaround was needed, and Senga led the way, putting a smile on both his face and the team’s.
After the game, Senga told New York’s SNY, “Obviously, I didn’t pitch ideally last time (against Toronto on May 5). I was trying to break a losing streak while the team was struggling,” he said, adding that he was grateful to his teammate for the win, saying, “Every time I throw a ball, Nemo makes an amazing catch.”
With the win, the Mets improved to 31-34 on the season. They are in fourth place in the National League East, trailing the third-place Philadelphia Phillies by 0.5 games.