Kodai Senga is a professional baseball pitcher born on January 30, 1993, in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
He currently plays for the New York Mets in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Senga began his professional career in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after being selected as a developmental player in the 2010 draft.
Known for his electric fastball and signature “ghost fork” pitch, he has established himself as one of the standout Japanese pitchers to transition successfully to MLB, blending power pitching with exceptional strikeout ability.
Siblings
Kodai has one sister named Kotono Senga.
In 2023, during one of his standout starts for the Mets at Citi Field, Senga had family members in attendance, including his parents, his sister, and his sister’s fiancé.
This visit provided him with motivation as he delivered a dominant performance.
Career
Senga’s journey began at Gamagori High School, where he initially played as a third baseman before his coach recognized his strong arm and converted him to pitching.
Undrafted out of high school in the conventional sense, he joined the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as a developmental player in 2010.
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He made his NPB debut in 2012 and gradually rose through the ranks, becoming a key starter for the Hawks.
Over 11 seasons in NPB, he compiled an impressive 87-44 record with a 2.59 ERA, striking out 1,252 batters in 1,089 innings while helping the team secure five Japan Series titles between 2015 and 2020.
In 2022, Senga became an international free agent and signed a five-year contract with the New York Mets worth $75 million, making his MLB debut in April 2023.
His rookie season was highly successful, highlighted by strong strikeout numbers and adaptability to major league competition.
He has continued pitching for the Mets through subsequent seasons, dealing with some injury challenges but maintaining a career MLB ERA around 3.00 and over 300 strikeouts in roughly 290 innings across his first few years.
Accolades
Throughout his career, Senga has earned numerous honors on both sides of the Pacific.
In NPB, he was selected as an All-Star three times (2013, 2017, and 2019), won the Pacific League Triple Crown in 2020, and led the league in strikeouts twice while also claiming titles in ERA, wins, and winning percentage.
He received two Best Nine Awards and two Golden Glove Awards, and he pitched a no-hitter in 2019.
In MLB, Senga was named to the 2023 All-Star Game as a rookie and earned a spot on the Baseball America Major League All-Rookie Team that same year.
He also represented Japan in the World Baseball Classic, earning All-Tournament Team honors in 2017.
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