After capturing the most dramatic postseason win in recent memory on Thursday night, the New York Mets advanced to the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. Their 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card round clinched the do-or-die contest and has the team riding an all-time high.
And it appears the Amazins are far from running out of tricks up their sleeve. On Friday, it was revealed the Mets would be activating star pitcher Kodai Senga off the injured list. A shocking turn of events. He’ll be starting Game 1 of the NLDS.
Senga missed the first four months of the season with shoulder issues and returned on July 26 for a start against the Atlanta Braves. Fans couldn’t have been more relieved to see him back as the Mets found a groove and really needed the pitching help.
But Senga, in the sixth inning of that game, collapsed in a heap after throwing a pitch, and had to be helped off the field by the medical staff. It was unclear what had happened, but it was later revealed he suffered a calf strain.
The severity of the strain forced him out for the remainder of the regular season, so the right-hander has pitched just 5 1/3 innings since the end of 2023. Nonetheless, this gives the Mets a chance to elongate their rotation and rest some of their tired arms.
Kodai Senga is starting Game 1 of the NLDS tomorrow for the Mets pic.twitter.com/nFOjRRdIKK
— SNY
Mets make surprising NLDS roster decision that could benefit their starting rotation
It’s uncertain what Senga can contribute after such a long absence, but his encouraging return from the injured list previously should give hope that he might exceed expectations.
As a rookie in 2023, Senga was named an All-Star, posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 202 strikeouts over 166 1/3 innings (29 starts). The potential exists for him to deliver an exceptional performance, especially considering he has only allowed the Phillies two earned runs across two starts totaling 12 1/3 innings in his short MLB career.
On Thursday night, it was reported that Senga might be considered for the NLDS roster. Just hours later, he was chosen to pitch at the hostile Citizens Bank Park for the start of the Phillies’ postseason.
This move could be brilliant or it could backfire. However, with the Mets’ current positive atmosphere, it feels like Mendoza and the front office are making the right choices.
Brandon Nimmo Provides Bad News for Anyone Hoping Mets Might Start Decelerating
Don’t look now, but the New York Mets are just two wins away from the NLCS. Yes, the same Mets that started the year 0-5. The same Mets that were, at one point, 17.5 games back. On Saturday, New York took the first game of the NLDS from the Philadelphia Phillies, overcoming a 21.8 percent win probability (per ESPN) to achieve a 6-2 victory, largely thanks to a five-run eighth inning.
The Mets had to do plenty to make it into the postseason. They had to win one of their final two games (in doubleheader format) on the final day of the season to make it in, but that was after crawling out of that massive deficit. Along the way, they became the good vibes ship captains with McDonald’s mascot Grimace becoming a key icon and a Latin pop hit from one of their players, Jose Iglesias, becoming their anthem.
But, with how hard they had to claw to get here, shouldn’t they slow soon? The magic is entertaining, but it has to wear off sometime, right?
Brandon Nimmo doesn’t think so. The Mets outfielder was asked on MLB Network if the team is tiring:
"This is what I dreamed about as a kid, so I'm just going to go enjoy every moment of this."
Brandon Nimmo joins #MLBTonight to talk about feeling the #Postseason energy, the huge Game 1 @Mets win and more with @LGRed & @Plesac19. pic.twitter.com/2acr1RZzO9
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 5, 2024
Nimmo continued, insisting this is what it’s all about:
“This is what we play for. This is what we do that 162-[game] grind for. When you’re standing on the line before a game and there’s 50,000 people waving their towels and you’ve got the Red October, it’s just like you dream when you’re a kid. And you’ve got all that emotion and adrenaline going, I just don’t think you can be tired.”
It’s perhaps fear-inducing, considering the Phillies have created one of the best home field advantages in baseball the last several years, to hear that the raucous, loud Philly crowd is essentially what’s giving the visiting Mets extra life.
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