New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga battled control issues in his limited start in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The ace pitcher, making his second start of the postseason and his third start overall this year, lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing three runs on two hits with four walks.
“He definitely didn’t have it today,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told Fox’s Tom Verducci during the fourth inning. “The way the ball came out of his hand, we didn’t see the zip on the fastball.”
Of the 30 pitches he threw, only 10 were strikes, as a lack of command ran him into immediate trouble.
After retiring Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on just two pitches to lead off the game, Senga walked each of the next three batters — Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez — to load the bases.
He flirted with a significant escape when Will Smith’s fly ball to center field was not deemed deep enough by Betts to tag up from third. However, Max Muncy lined a two-out single to center to score a pair and put the Mets in an immediate hole.
In the second inning, he walked Gavin Lux to lead off before No. 9 hitter Tommy Edman handed him a free out with a sacrifice bunt to move the runner up into scoring position. Ohtani then singled to right, scoring Lux to make it a 3-0 game.
Of the four men Senga walked, three scored. He was relieved by Reed Garrett following the Ohtani single.
The 31-year-old right-hander’s night was not going to be too long, anyway, considering a shoulder and calf injury limited his regular season to just 5.1 innings. However, the Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza had hoped that he would be able to eat three innings after he went two innings and allowed one run in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies.
