Kodai Senga's under-par performance against A's draws criticism from New York Mets fans: "30 years old and he’s still super raw yuck"

Kodai Senga started for the New York Mets against the Oakland Athletics in a high-scoring game that saw 23 runs scored. The Japanese pitcher was on the mound for 4.2 innings and earned four runs during his stay. However, fans weren't quite satisfied with their star recruit's performance, although it didn't matter much as the Mets won 17-6.

Kodai Senga was a professional in Japan's NPB for 11 years. He was highly successful as a pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and was part of their 'dynasty' that won seven Japan Series titles in the last decade. Expectations were at their peak when he signed with the New York Mets at the start of the offseason.

The 30-year-old has had two other starts this season, both against the Marlins, where he gave away just two runs and six hits. However, after last night's game, his ERA shot up to 3.38 from 1.59. Regardless, the Japanese superstar has been quite effective with his strikeouts, with 21 of them in three games.

In Friday's encounter, Kodai Senga was homered twice by Shea Langeliers who hit a two-run home run, and Aledmys Diaz for a solo bomb in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. He also got scored off by Brent Rooker, who hit an RBI single off an error by the Mets shortstop Luis Guillorme.

However, some fans were less concerned as they know a pitcher of Senga's caliber could bounce back anytime.

Kodai Senga will look to bounce back in next start

The New York Mets will be hoping that their new recruit comes back into form for their next start. Looking at the Mets rotation, Kodai Senga is expected to be back to pitch next week. After their series against the A's, Steve Cohen's club will be off to play the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants in two high-profile away series.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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