New York- New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, continuing his unlikely return from a series of injuries that have limited him to only two starts this season.
The manager of the Mets, the Venezuelan Carlos Mendoza, indicated on Saturday that “everyone must be available and ready.”
“The same as Senga and we will see from there”he indicated prior to Mets training before leaving for Los Angeles.
Senga returned to the team’s lineup for the National League division series. He started Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies on October 5 and allowed one run in two innings in the Mets’ 6-2 victory.
Senga missed the first 102 games of the season due to a strained right shoulder capsule and only pitched 5.1 innings in his only regular-season start on July 26 when he held the Atlanta Braves to just two runs before suffer a strain in the left calf.
Mendoza reported the next day that if the Mets “saw (Senga) pitch again this year, that means they are in a good place.” The 31-year-old pitcher made one rehab appearance in the minors.
“I don’t have any numbers in mind,” Senga said through an interpreter about his potential workload on Saturday. “I will go out until they take the ball away from me and I will go out 100%.”
Having Senga back in the rotation allows the Mets to maximize his rest and the rest of the rotation. Including his appearance against the Phillies, Senga has made 26 of his 30 major league starts after five days of rest.
Sean Manaea, who will pitch in Game 2 on Monday, has pitched a career-high 193 2/3 innings, while Luis Severino has pitched 194 innings, his most since 2018.
Senga may not be the only contributor to this Cinderella story for the Mets in the NLCS. Jeff McNeil, who ended his regular season on Sept. 6 after fracturing his right wrist after being hit by a pitch, gained playing time with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League on Friday.
Mendoza indicated that McNeil is scheduled to play again with Scottsdale on Saturday and that there is “a good chance he will be on the roster” if he stays healthy.
