Mets ace Kodai Senga reciprocates Japanese star Yuki Yanagita's sweet message with heartfelt response

Kodai Senga is a right-handed starting pitcher for the New York Mets, and he was also a massive star in Japan. Senga is just one of many Japanese stars to find success in Major League Baseball, but not all stars decide to come over to the United States.

Yuki Yanagita is a 36-year-old outfielder who stars in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) but has never expressed interest in playing Major League Baseball. However, Senga still stays in touch with players from Japan and recently had a special day with Yanagita.

Yanagita posted a photo of himself with Senga on Saturday as the two enjoyed a meal together. Yanagita also added a caption to give followers a glimpse of their day.

"Tea party with Chiga. You look good! I hear he is starting to understand English." (Translated to English)

Kodai Senga shared the same photo on his own Instagram page and also provided a caption to thank the Japanese star for his time.

"Thanks for a Great Time💪 " -@kodai_senga_

Senga missed much of the 2024 season with a calf strain and tricep tightness but is expected to be ready to start the 2025 season.

Kodai Senga Shows Off New Glove Collection

Kodai Senga has been working hard on his rehab throughout the offseason, but there has been time for some fun as well.

In early January, Senga showed off his new glove collection that he will be sporting on the mound this season.

ZettBaseball_JP shared some photos of Senga. The company has been working with Japanese stars to come out with a new glove model, and it revealed the name of Senga's new collection in its caption.

"NEW Ghost Fork Grab 👻"

Senga hopes to stay healthy throughout the 2025 season, but he will head into the year with some added inspiration from his home country of Japan.