Kodai Senga’s long-awaited season debut for the New York Mets on Friday night at Citi Field ended prematurely and painfully.
During the sixth inning of the Mets’ 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves, Senga suddenly experienced discomfort while attempting to field an infield popup. He clutched his left calf and collapsed to the ground in visible pain. Despite Pete Alonso successfully catching Austin Riley’s fly ball, the incident left Senga unable to continue.
After being helped off the field, it was confirmed that Senga had sustained a left calf strain. The severity of the injury remains uncertain, pending the results of an MRI scheduled for Saturday. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza expressed his dismay, stating:
“He dominated today. You hate to see him go down like that.”
Before his exit, Senga pitched impressively, achieving nine strikeouts over more than five innings and allowing only two hits and two runs, resulting in a 3.38 ERA for the night. Senga, who finished as the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up last season with a 12-7 record and a 2.98 ERA over 29 starts, had missed the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury.
The Mets managed to overcome a 2-0 deficit with a remarkable third inning, highlighted by J.D. Martinez’s grand slam and subsequent home runs by Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez, propelling them to a 7-2 lead. Although the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna and Adam Duvall hit solo home runs later in the game, the Mets maintained their lead to secure the win.
This victory marked the Mets’ fifth consecutive win, improving their season record to 55-48. This performance moved them past the Braves to claim the top NL wild-card spot, though they still trail the Philadelphia Phillies by nine games in the NL East standings.
