To say that the 2025 season was a disappointment for Kodai Senga would be an understatement.<\/p>\n
Early on it looked like he had a grown into a bonafide ace, posting a 1.26 ERA in April to lead the way for a New York Mets<\/a> rotation that held the best ERA in baseball. But much like the Mets season, Senga scuffled to end the summer and found himself out of the rotation and optioned to the minor leagues to address the performance issues that popped up following his June 12th hamstring injury.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old right-hander enters the 2026 season with many of the same concerns: health, consistency, and ability to handle a full workload over the course of the year. One outing won’t answer these questions, but Senga’s season debut was a strong and promising reminder of the kind of pitcher he can be when it is all going for him.<\/p>\n Kodai Senga Impresses in Loss to Cardinals<\/p>\n Senga was outstanding in his first start against the St. Louis Cardinals, going six complete innings and allowing just two earned runs and four hits while striking out nine on 92 pitches. The Mets failed to provide run support and ultimately lost 3-0, but Senga’s strong outing kept them in it until the very end and drew praise from his manager.<\/p>\n Kodai Senga, K’ing the Side with Flames. \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n 99mph, 99mph and 98mph. pic.twitter.com\/xxHYUICIoY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n “He was really good today,\u201d Carlos Mendoza said after the game<\/a>. \u201cFrom the very first pitch, you saw the velo, and for him to be able to maintain the velocity throughout the outing. Up to 90 pitches and you [still] saw 97 [mph].”<\/p>\n The veteran showcased his full arsenal, cranking his fastball velocity up to 99.2 mph and generating 17 total whiffs. According to Mike Mayer of Metsmerized<\/a>, he has already topped his max velocity from 2025 of 98.3 mph and matched his season-high on whiffs of 17, which he had done just twice last year.<\/p>\n Senga finished with 17 whiffs. He only had two starts in 2025 with at least 17 whiffs. https:\/\/t.co\/KOKaZWxCBs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Mendoza broke down Senga’s devastating pitch mix and what makes it so effective when they are all working off of each other.<\/p>\n \u201cHitters gotta get ready for that type of velocity, and then on top of that, you got so much movement from some of the other pitches, whether it\u2019s the forkball, the cutter, the slider, he\u2019s got so much that can keep hitters off-balance,\u201d he said. \u201cThe velo, that\u2019s a plus there.\u201d<\/p>\n Senga, who has been very open and honest about his struggles, was also pleased with his performance.<\/p>\n “The last time I was out on the mound and in the dugout, I had to be thinking about my body and making sure it\u2019s gonna do what I need it to do,” Senga said through a translator. “But on the flip side, today, I didn\u2019t have to worry about any of that. I can face the hitters, and it really felt like I\u2019m a starting pitcher again.”<\/p>\n “It was a great start to the year. It makes me excited for this year.”<\/p>\n Kodai Senga talks about his first start of the season and how he can build on it moving forward: pic.twitter.com\/YD1DIKCY6X<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Reflecting on his performance, the fourth-year Met is already looking forward for how he can build on the impressive debut to continue to help his club.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing out there, and I can start to deduce, \u2018What is this hitter thinking? What are they looking for? What\u2019s something that they\u2019re not looking for?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBeing out there and able to do that, it\u2019s a good feeling. I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, one performance doesn’t guarantee that Senga has turned a corner, and the main goal for him will be remaining healthy and keeping his stuff where it was on Tuesday night. But after one turn through the rotation, New York could be looking at a stellar five-man rotation with a refreshed Kodai Senga as a key reason why.<\/p>\n If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n