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PHILADELPHIA — Kodai Senga slapped the dugout railing in a raw display of emotion, a most unexpected Game 1 starter pumping his fist during an eighth-inning comeback that – have you followed these New York Mets? – should really have been expected by now.
New York has mastered the art of the late rally, first in Atlanta, then in the Wild Card Series at Milwaukee and now this so-called stunner – five runs in the eighth against two All-Star relievers for a 6-2 win Saturday over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of their NL Division Series.
“Over the long run and you keep doing that time and time again, it should work out,” Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo said. “And we have enough good hitters that if we all come up with plans and we all take our shots, that we like our chances of breaking through.
“So I think Atlanta, Milwaukee, very recent examples that you have in the back of your head to give you confidence that you’re never out of it.”
Senga played his small part in the win pretty well for a pitcher who was an injured afterthought all season. He tossed two innings in only his second start of the year, throwing 31 pitches before giving way to a sensational bullpen.
The right-hander served up Kyle Schwarber’s leadoff home run on his third pitch and left with the Mets down 1-0. He struck out three and walked one; Schwarber’s homer was the only hit he allowed.
Senga had thrown just 5 1/3 major league innings all year before he was announced by New York manager Carlos Mendoza the surprise starter for the NLDS opener.
The Japanese star joined the Mets ahead of the 2023 season on a $75 million, five-year contract and became an All-Star in his first season. He went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
But the 31-year-old made just one start this season as he dealt with shoulder and calf injuries. The team’s projected No. 1 starter, Senga also was slowed late in the year by tightness in his right triceps.
He impressed enough against the Phillies that Mendoza could call on Senga again for another start in the best-of-five series.
“If they call on me, I just prepare to pitch that day. That’s all there is,” Senga said through a translator.
Mendoza, in his first season as Mets manager, said the plan going into Game 1 was two innings or about 35 pitches.
“We have an idea of what we’re doing there,” Mendoza said. “Hopefully we get to a point where that relationship continues to develop and there’s more conversation, kind of like what I have with the starters, that I have the whole year, and I know when to push and when not to. I don’t think I’m there with Senga.”
David Peterson, who earned his first career save in the Wild Card Series clincher against Milwaukee, kept the Mets in the game with three innings of shutout relief. Reed Garrett tossed two perfect innings for the win.
Phil Maton struck out two in a scoreless eighth – Mets pitchers fanned eight – and Ryne Stanek was touched for a run in the ninth.
Thanks to the five-run burst and a stellar bullpen effort, the Mets could afford to rest closer Edwin Díaz.
The Mets stunned the Phillies and another packed house at Citizens Bank Park, not with a dramatic drive like Pete Alonso’s go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning of Game 3 at Milwaukee, but instead they henpecked the bullpen with singles and sacrifice flies.
With Phillies ace Zack Wheeler out of the game after throwing one-hit ball over seven shutout innings, the Mets had three straight batters reach base in the eighth after facing 0-2 counts. Mark Vientos hit a tying single and Nimmo laced a go-ahead single past a drawn-in infield for a 2-1 lead.
All-Star relievers Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm got just one out combined and allowed five runs in the eighth.
Nimmo added an RBI single in the ninth. All eight of New York’s hits – seven in the final two innings – were singles.
After the last out, Mets fans crowded the rows behind their dugout and chanted “Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets!”
Leave it to the Mets to win this one late – they have scored 18 runs in the eighth and ninth innings over six games since Monday. New York joined the 1980 Phillies and 1999 Mets as the only teams to win consecutive playoff games after trailing in the eighth inning or later.
No doubt, the Mets will be flying high when they send right-hander Luis Severino to the mound Sunday in Game 2.
“In Atlanta it was like a two-game series for our lives, and in Milwaukee it was three,” Nimmo said. “So you still go into it understanding you’ve got to win three games, and it doesn’t matter how you get there, just as long as you get there.”
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