Kodai Senga, one of the Mets’ big free agent acquisitions this offseason, arrived at Spring Training in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Wednesday and immediately got to work by tossing his first bullpen session on Thursday.
Senga spoke on the field after his workout and was asked about what it’s going to be like pitching with two future Hall of Famers, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
“Obviously very excited to be pitching alongside those two,” Senga said through an interpreter. “And what I can learn from them is going to be huge for my career, so I’m really excited for that, too.”
Senga is known for his special pitch called the “ghost fork,” and went on to explain how he got the nickname during his career in Japan.
“The reason why it’s called the ghost fork, in Japan, the batters would see it, they would swing, but it’s not there anymore,” he said through an interpreter. “Hopefully I can replicate that over in the states as well.”
The pitch has been a key weapon for Senga over his 11 seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, as he owns an 87-44 record with a 2.59 ERA and 1,252 strikeouts over 1,089.0 IP. Last season he went 11-6 with a 1.94 ERA for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
The 30-year-old was even asked how he’s enjoying Spring Training in Florida so far, and did not shy away from being honest.
“Very hot,” Senga joked.
Senga will have some time to get adjusted to the Florida heat as the Mets begin their Spring Training schedule on Saturday, Feb. 25 against the Miami Marlins.