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The New York Mets fully embraced Kodai Senga and his miraculous ghost forkball. The team has created an animation depicting the legendary pitch and displays it every time Senga strikes a batter out at Citi Field.
Senga is starting for the first time in New York on Saturday. Given how he fared in his first start against the Miami Marlins, expect the animation to be flashed a ton this season.
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The ghost fork animation is the same logo that he has on his customized glove. It's great to see an athlete buying into fun things like this, especially when playing in New York.
The animation may become a nightmare for opposing batters. Senga has had no problem transitioning the pitch to the different balls MLB uses, which was something some around the league had concerns about.
"This is so cool," one fan tweeted.
"I love this," another fan tweeted.
New York Mets fans love the animation for Kodai Senga. They liked that the team incorporated the Sega logo with his name.
Fans have high expectations for Senga. They're hoping he has a fruitful career with the Mets.
Kodai Senga has transitioned well under the circumstances
One of the biggest talking points surrounding Kodai Senga was whether he would adjust to the majors quickly. That question seems to have been thrown out the window with his first start.
Last Sunday against the Miami Marlins, he threw 5.1 innings, giving up just one run and striking out eight batters. He showed great command of all of his pitches, especially his ghost forkball.
He overcame a difficult first inning, in which he gave up a run and three hits. After the game, he stated that he had some first-inning jitters. After the first inning was over, the jitters went away and he was able to focus better.
Senga touched 99 mph, averaging 96.8 mph on his fastballs. He threw 88 pitches to cap off a 5-1 win for the Mets.
He'll be important in the success the Mets have moving forward, especially to start the season. The team is already without Justin Verlander, who is on the IL and isn't expected to return until the end of April.
The rest of the starting rotation will have to hold it down until Verlander returns. Once Verlander is healthy and returns, this rotation could be one of the best in all of baseball.
