Kodai Senga
Kodai Senga is a baseball player for Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of NPB(Nippon Professional Baseball Organization).
| Position | Pitcher |
| Bats/Throws | L/R |
| Team | Fukuoka Softbank Hawks |
| Bron | 1/30/1993 in Gamagori, Japan |
| Draft | 2010, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, Development Player Draft Round: 4 |
| Debut | 4/30/2012 |
| Awards and honors | Best Nine (2019, 2020) Golden Glove Award (2019, 2020) Best Battery Award (2020) All-World Baseball Classic team (2017) All-star game (2013, 2017, 2019) No-hitter (9/6/2019) |
| national team | World Baseball Classic (2017) Summer Olympics (2020 in Tokyo) |
Senga wanted to play in MLB.
In 2017, Senga told the team that he hoped to transfer to MLB through the posting system in the
future.
However, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks did not allow the posting system due to team policy.
In 2021, Senga signed a five-year contract, but with an opt-out clause attached.
After the 2022 season, Senga declared that he would exercise his opt-out clause.
Senga became an international free agent and finally had the opportunity to transfer to MLB.
Senga signed with the New York Mets.
Senga's Playing Style
Senga throws a four-seam with a 95-96 mph average from three quarters. The highest is 101.9 mph. This
was just recorded in May 2022.
Other throws include a forkball, a cutter, and a slider. His slider moves vertically. His fork ball
has a high whiff rate and is known as "ghost fork" in Japan. "ghost fork" has a spiral spin. That is
why it confuses the batter.
Senga has had more strikeouts than innings pitched for seven consecutive years. Highlights include
180.1 innings pitched and 227 strikeouts in 2019.
Senga can strike out a lot, but his control is poor. Walks a lot of batters. In addition, he has been
frequently out of the rotation due to injury over the past few years.
Senga's game video
This video shows the strikeouts that Senga struck out in 2021. Senga struck out 90 in 2021.
This is the game in which Senga completed his no-hitter. No hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts in 133 pitches. This is his first no-hitter as a player who joined the team as a developmental squad player.
Senga recorded his fastest 101.9 mph in May 2022. This record is tied for second all-time among Japanese and tied for third all-time in NPB history.