Mets Beat Marlins 5-1 After Kodai Senga Shines in MLB Debut

Mets RHP Kodai Senga (Photo Credits to Getty Images)

 The New York Mets beat the Marlins 5-1 this afternoon at LoanDepot Park to win three of out four games in the series and improved their record to 3-1.

The offense got off to a fast start in the top of the first after CF Tommy Pham led off with a single and three batters later, 1B Pete Alonso walked.

DH Mark Canha followed with a walk to load the bases and then 2B Jeff McNeil reached on an infield hit on a throwing error by SP Trevor Rodgers which allowed Pham and Alonso to score.

The bats did not do much for the next few innings until the top of the fifth after LF Tim Locastro led off with a walk and then Pham followed with a two-run homer.

After a scoreless top of the sixth, Locastro was hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the seventh and then Pham capped off his stellar day at the plate with a RBI double for his third RBI of the game.

Mets RHP Kodai Senga made his much-anticipated ML debut after coming over from Japan and got off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first allowing a single, two walks and a wild pitch.

Senga gave a run, but was able to limit the damage with the based loaded and no out with back-to-back strikeouts and then retired 3B Jon Berti on a line-out to RF Starling Marte to end the inning.

Senga settled down nicely after that and wound up retiring 15 out of the last 17 hitters he faced.

He showed a lot of poise and composure in the bottom of the first inning and didn't get rattled with having to get of a bases loaded jam and allow only one run.

Senga featured a blazing fastball topping off at 99 mph along with a devastating splitter or "ghostfork"as well as a sharp slider.

His ghost fork kept the Marlins off balanced all game and he was to generate strikes on eight out of the 12 first ghost forks that he threw. 

It will be fun to see how Senga continues to evolve and keep hitters guessing with all of the pitches he can throw.

His final line was 5.1 innings, three hits, one run, three walks and eight strikeouts to pick up his first Major League win.

RHP Dennis Santana followed and got the last two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

RHP John Curtiss came in next and threw a scoreless bottom of the seventh.

RHP Stephen Nogosek closed it out with two scoreless innings in the bottom of the eighth and ninth.

The Mets next game is tomorrow afternoon, Monday, April 3 at the Milwaukee Brewers at 2:10 p.m.