JUPITER, Fla. -- Following two injury-filled seasons, Kodai Senga isn't trying to replicate the 2023 form that led to an All-Star selection.
He's hoping mechanical changes to his delivery better suit the pitcher he is now.
“My body is different from where it was three years ago now, so I'm not really trying to get back to that,” Senga said via an interpreter. “It's a new me, and I'm trying to find new mechanics.”
In what he termed a “really good outing,” Senga allowed two solo home runs in 2 2/3 innings while making his Grapefruit League debut in the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Cardinals on Saturday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
“Really good signs,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We saw it from the very beginning when we're watching live BPs on the backfield. It's not something that I've seen the two years that I've been here. On the first day 94-95 [mph], and then Day One, when he's playing in a real game, and you see 97-98 and just how sharp he was. He's healthy, and we can see it now.”
Though Saturday marked his first Grapefruit League appearance, Senga has been throwing on schedule at the complex's backfields, building his arm strength. That allowed him to pitch into the third inning.
The refined mechanics -- the specifics of which Senga joked were too long to delve into postgame -- allowed him to hit over 98 mph on several fastballs.
The two runs he allowed came via solo home runs.
Joshua Baez mashed the first pitch he saw from Senga, a 97 mph fastball, over the left-center-field fence in the second inning. Miguel Ugueto reached out and pulled a 1-2 forkball to left field, barely clearing the wall.
On the day, Senga allowed only one other hit and struck out two without walking anyone. He threw 34 of 50 pitches for strikes.
“I feel really good,” Senga said. “I'm really content with where I'm at. Obviously, some work still to do, but very happy.”
After only making one start in 2024 because of right shoulder and left calf injuries, Senga went 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 22 Major League starts last season.
Even when he started last season by posting a 7-3 record, Senga said he still didn't feel right. That's before he strained his right hamstring while covering first base in June. He returned in July but was never the same, pitching to a 5.90 ERA in nine starts before finishing the year in the Minor Leagues.
“It wasn't easy for him after he went down with the injury,” Mendoza said.
Entering his fourth MLB season, Senga holds a career 20-13 record with a 3.00 ERA.
This spring Mendoza has noticed a renewed dedication from Senga.
“He's been very professional,” Mendoza said. “You have to give him credit. He put in the work in the offseason. He came in, and so far we have seen a different version of him as far as the intensity, the way he's throwing the baseball.”
The difference is noticeable off the field, too.
“You see a Kodai Senga in the clubhouse smiling,” Mendoza said. “More interaction with teammates. He's not in the training room getting treatment.”