Senga's Dominant Return: 98 MPH Heat, 9 Ks

0:00It's April 1st. This is New York Mets News today, AI-powered updates on your team. I'm Cory with the story. Kodai Senga made his first start of the season for the Mets in St. Louis, and he came out firing 98 mile per hour fastballs right from the... Jump? Over six innings against the Cardinals, he averaged 97.4 miles per hour on his four-seam fastballs, a solid 2.7. mile per hour jump from last year, that heat helped him rack up seven whips on just 23 swings, and he struck out nine in a three-nothing loss. Manager Carlos Mendoza raved about how that velocity keeps hitters guessing, especially mixed with Senga's fork ball, cutter, and slider. The cutter saw a nice bump too, of 0.9 miles per hour, and it got the highest-called strike plus whiff rate at 38%. Senga's a call the whole outing electric, noting Senga held that speed deep into the count, even touching 97 and 90 pitches. Senga credits better body control and mechanics for the gains, saying he feels way healthier

1:03than last spring. He admitted the first inning felt rusty on the big league mound after some time away, but his ghost fork sharpened up later, snagging four whips on, 15 pitches for key strikeouts. The only real damage came in the third inning, where three straight hits, including a two-run, double lead in all the cardinals runs. But Senga locked it down after that. No hits over his last 12 outs, turning a rough patch into a strong bounce back. If Senga stays healthy, the meds expect his dominant 2023 version to stick around, and he's already feeling that pitcher. Mindset. Building hitters and building momentum for what's next.