Mets starter Kodai Senga pointed to a “mechanical error” as the “biggest factor” in his poor showing against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night. He was pulled in the second inning after throwing just 30 pitches (10 strikes), leading to New York’s 9-0 loss at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s something that I noticed right before going out to the game,” Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “I tried to make some adjustments on the fly, but, obviously, I wasn’t able to, and I’m just disappointed in myself that I wasn’t able.”
Senga allowed three earned runs on two hits and four walks. He didn’t strike out a batter for the first time in his career.
After getting out the lead-off batter in the first inning, Senga struggled to find the strike zone, throwing 23 pitches (seven strikes). Senga walked the next three batters, setting up a two-out, two-run single by Max Muncy, which gave the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead.
“He was off. He didn’t have it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game. “He didn’t have the life on his fastball and a lot of balls out of hand, non-competitive pitches, especially the split. You could tell that by the way they were taking those pitches. They were balls out of the hand. Definitely off today.”
Senga didn’t have command of his best pitch, the forkball, spiking three of them in the first inning alone. His fastball was also down, averaging 93.5 mph, down from 95.7 mph last season — also a factor of his mechanics being off, Senga confirmed.
Senga has struggled to start games. In 30 first innings innings, he’s allowed 17 runs for a 4.20 ERA, the highest of any inning.
This was also true in his first postseason start against the Phillies when he allowed a lead-off home run to Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Senga settled down after Schwarber in that game, not allowing a hit to the next seven batters he faced.
The same couldn’t be said in Game 1 of the NLCS, where he was even penalized with a ball after violating the pitch clock in the second inning.
“I was definitely thinking about my mechanics because if they’re not there, it’s hard to compete,” Senga said. “And as much as I was thinking about the hitters, my mechanics were also in my mind.”
Questions will surround the Mets’ decision to go with Senga, especially with their ace, left-hander Sean Manaea being available on normal rest. But it’s difficult to second-guess Mendoza when he’s been pushing the right buttons for over four months, especially in the postseason.
Though the Mets lost Game 1, they still have a chance to split the first two games at Dodger Stadium, giving them home-field advantage as they head to Citi Field for potentially three games in a row.
“The team’s got a game tomorrow,” Senga said. “We just gotta keep winning games.”
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