Photo by Ed Delaney, MMO

A few days ago, newly signed pitcher Kodai Senga threw a 52-pitch bullpen session that could be regarded as someone who is just getting used to the intricacies of the major league ball and mound.

The session did not particularly inspire hope right off the bat but did have some bright spots, which included hitting 96mph on the radar gun.

Mike Puma of the New York Post notes that Senga himself is more than likely a “game player” which loosely translates to a player not doing well in a practice setting but can deliver in the game itself. The Mets took a chance on him, hoping to replace the departed Chris Bassitt, and signed Senga to a five year, $75 million contract with hopes that he can bring his signature “ghost pitch” to New York, along with a sharp fastball and excellent command. If there were any doubts about what Senga could offer, many of them were pushed to the side in his latest appearance on a major league mound.

During a live session, Senga took the mound against Mets stars Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, with owner Steve Cohen taking a glance. Senga dazzled and impressed everyone by hitting 98 mph with his fastball and showing off his patented “ghost” pitch, which was used to strike out Alonso. Although Senga himself noted that his session was “so-so,” he received high praise from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, along with Alonso, Lindor and McNeil. Alonso noted that “He looked really good, really sharp. His stuff looks really good, nice and crisp,” and reiterated that he’s lucky they are teammates by saying “I’m happy he’s on our side.”

Alonso also spoke that he had nothing to base the pitch off of from any previous experience and that the pitch takes a weird shape out of his hand and can “vanish” from a hitter’s eye. Jeff McNeil also took note of the odd shape of the pitch saying “It’s a different shape of a pitch.”

Lindor, who didn’t seem to eager to face Senga, expressed his gratitude for having a pitcher with his skill set on his team. He notes that “he has the potential to become really good in the show. I know he’s going to help us win games and he’s an athletic pitcher and he has a tremendous amount of potential so I was happy that we got him and I was excited to see him.”

Mets manager Buck Showalter stated that Senga’s command was a lot better than he anticipated as well as his handling of the newly implemented pitch clock. Showalter also says the next step is to see how Senga operates with men on base along with the pitch clock. Showalter didn’t lean in on the name of the pitch and said “You won’t hear me calling it a ghost” and added that “He didn’t name it,” in reference to Senga not hyping up the “ghost” nickname of the pitch.

Through an interpreter, Senga spoke about the session and facing live hitters.

“I was super, super focused. I could tell that I was concentrated and it was a lot of fun, After the last bullpen I wasn’t too sure if I was going to be ready to face hitters this soon, but after today I feel really good and I feel ready to be in the game.”

Ghost pitch, fork ball or whatever, this latest session for Senga is a positive sign for all involved, as we begin to slowly see why the Mets invested their money into this type of talent. As Senga continues to acclimate himself to major league habits, along with the culture outside of Japan, he seems to be taking well to his surroundings, along with his new Mets teammates. While there is a lot of work and progress to be had, this session is the first step into solidifying a rotation that boasts two future Hall of Famers along with a team with championship aspirations.