Before the game, Mets starter Kodai Senga said he was “half-half” on wanting to pitch in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. After not appearing in his first Midsummer Classic, Senga said the decision not to pitch came about with a focus on the second half and because his selection came “around so suddenly.”
“After that outing in Arizona, I was pretty set on my next outing and I decided what to do in between the starts, and with this being so sudden it was pretty unrealistic,” Senga, an injury replacement to the National League team, said through an interpreter.
“And another part is being a rookie, first year in the big leagues, a big goal of mine was to stay in the rotation throughout the whole entire year without injury,” he said. “And that’s still my goal and that’s what I’ m striving for. So I’m focused on the season.”
Senga, who threw a season-high eight innings and 107 pitches in his final start before the break on July 5 against the Diamondbacks, said he knows when his next start will be, but told reporters with a smile to ask manager Buck Showalter.
“I think the biggest part, is my priority is the season,” Senga said prior to the game. “And that’s how I ended the first half, thinking about the season. So I think that’s just what’s on my mind.”
Despite not appearing, Senga had said he enjoyed the All-Star experience, mentioning before the game how he enjoyed the Home Run Derby and talking with all the other great players of the game.
“Moving forward into next season and the season after, I want to be the type of pitcher where other people, other players say, ‘Yeah, Senga’s definitely an All-Star. He deserves to be an All-Star.’ That’s the type of player I want to be.”
After pitching to a 3.31 ERA over 89.2 innings in his first half, Senga reflected on coming to Seattle for the festivities was “like a gift from baseball.”
“How hard I worked the first half and all the things I worked on grinding through the first half of the season and it turned into a great week like this and it was awesome,” the right-hander said.
Senga added that he hoped his Mets teammates used their four-day break to recharge ahead of the final 72 games of the regular season.
“Obviously I don’t know what the other guys are doing during the All-Star break, but I just hope they’re having a good time and able to refresh, take their mind off baseball a little bit so they can head into the second half with positive vibes,” he said before the game.
And the starter, who has averaged just under six innings per game in his first 16 big league outings, said he is focusing on lengthening his outings in the second half.
“I know myself as a starting pitcher, the deeper I go into the games the better chance we have of winning, so that’s my goal for the second half,” Senga said.
With the Mets (42-48) and 7.0 games out of the third Wild Card spot, Senga said about the team’s chances in the second half, “We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
“As players I know that we need to perform to the best of our abilities and, me being one of ’em, I hope to play well and contribute to the team,” he said.