Behind Kodai Senga’s Prowess
Historic Mets Numbers, Room for Improvement, and a Never-Satisfied Mindset
Introduction to Kodai Senga’s Success
May 31, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — Carlos Mendoza opened his postgame media availability after the New York Mets’ 8–2 drubbing of the Colorado Rockies on Saturday by describing Kodai Senga’s outing as “solid.” Only solid? “He was outstanding,” Mendoza later clarified when prodded.
Historic Performance
After allowing a home run to Ezequiel Tovar, the second hitter of Saturday’s game, Senga retired the next 17 hitters he faced at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon. Across 6.1 innings, he allowed just two hits, two earned runs, and two walks. Senga attributed his success in Saturday’s win to his ability to throw strikes to get ahead in the count. As the game progressed, he said, he felt that he was able to throw more of his pitches for strikes — 55 of his 92 pitches were strikes — and that the Rockies’ hitters began to hit them earlier in the count, helping him breeze through the middle innings.
Career Start and Statistics
Senga’s sixth win of the season further confirmed that he is off to one of the best career starts in franchise history. Through his first 40 career games, Senga has 19 wins, tied with former Mets ace Jacob deGrom for second in team history. Only Dwight Gooden (23) had more wins after the same number of games. Senga’s 1.60 earned run average in 2025 is third in the majors, and the fifth-lowest through a Mets player’s first 11 starts of a season. He trails only two other pitchers — deGrom and Jerry Koosman, each of whom holds two out of the top four spots on this list.
Room for Improvement
The two hits he allowed on Saturday were the lowest total he’s given up since Aug. 2023. And Saturday marked Senga’s 28th consecutive start in which he’s given up three runs or fewer — the fourth-longest streak in Mets history. Again, Senga trails only deGrom and Gooden in this category. So yeah, just solid. The only component of Senga’s start that could’ve momentarily dropped his manager’s evaluation from outstanding to solid was his difficult seventh inning. Senga walked Tovar, and two batters later, walked Ryan McMahon. Then, he gave up an RBI single to Thairo Estrada, after which Mendoza replaced him with José Butto.
Pitching Strategy and Resilience
“It happens,” Mendoza said. In his previous three outings, Senga had thrown at least 100 pitches. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Sunday, his pitch count reached the century mark in the sixth inning. After he walked Max Muncy, he was pulled. Against the Boston Red Sox on May 19, Senga was replaced after the sixth inning. On May 13 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his night was over after he allowed a single to Alexander Canario, and Jared Triolo reached on an error. When his pitch count rises, Senga said, he can run into trouble. On Saturday, he threw 92 pitches before Mendoza took him out. The Mets used a mound visit just before the Estrada hit.
Never-Satisfied Mindset
“Whether it’s fatigue or not,” Senga said. “Just mechanically, I start to come a little bit off. I think I need to spend this time between this next start and rethink, revise and get stronger.” Interestingly, Senga’s numbers indicate that he often struggles early in games. This season
