He’s been an All-Star since his first year in the major leagues. Japanese pitcher Senga Godai, 30, of the New York Mets, will play in the All-Star Game as an alternate and will face off against fellow Japanese Shohei Ohtani, 29.
The MLB office announced the replacements for the pitchers who will miss the All-Star Game on Monday (Sept. 9). Senga joins the All-Stars as a replacement for Marcus Stroman (Chicago Cubs). In addition to Senga, Alex Cobb (San Francisco), Craig Kimbrel (Philadelphia), and Corbin Burns (Milwaukee) have been selected as alternates for the National League. Bryce Elder, Spencer Strider (Atlanta) and Devin Williams (Milwaukee) have been removed from the roster.먹튀검증
Senga, who spent last year with the SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball, signed a five-year, $75 million deal with the Mets to play in the major leagues. After some early struggles, Senga has become a steady, reliable pitcher with his signature “ghost forkball. In 16 games, he is 7-5 with a 3.31 ERA (33 earned runs in 89⅔ innings) and 113 strikeouts. He has the most wins and the most strikeouts among rookie-eligible pitchers.
In his final start of the first half, he picked up the win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 6, tossing eight innings of four-hit ball (one homer) with 12 strikeouts and one walk.
The Mets have not been able to capitalize on their highly touted one-two punch of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who have been plagued by injuries and aging. Scherzer is 8-2 with a 4.03 ERA in 15 starts, while Verlander is 3-4 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts. Senga was the only one to complete a regulation inning.
Senga is the eighth Japanese player and fifth Mets rookie to be named to the All-Star team. Senga joins Dwight Gooden (1984) and Tom Seaver (1967) as Mets legendary pitchers.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
Speaking to local media, Senga said, “It’s a place where great players go. To be selected to the All-Star team is amazing. I’m sure I’ll have even more emotions when I get to Seattle,” Senga said of his All-Star selection. This year’s All-Star Game will be held at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
“I’m very surprised and I know it’s an honor. When I wasn’t initially selected, I really didn’t think anything of it, which made it all the more surprising.”
In the All-Star Game, the former National League pitcher will face Shohei Ohtani, who has now been selected as the American League’s designated hitter. He leads the majors in home runs with 32 in the first half of the season, and still manages to pitch as well. It’s no wonder he’s known as the God of Baseball.
“If I had a choice, I would choose not to face him,” Senga said with a laugh, “but the fans in Japan would love it, and the fans here would love it. Whatever happens, whether I hit him or strike him out, I want to enjoy the moment,” he added.