(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Every time an MLB team brings in a player from another league, nobody knows how he will perform.
The player becomes an absolute question mark when it comes to MLB performance.
Through the years, some Japanese players have found enormous success like Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish, but others have crashed.
For every Ohtani, there is a Kei Igawa every once in a while.
When Kodai Senga was made available, the New York Mets made sure to be the top bidders.
They knew that mystery that Japanese players might be sometimes, but they decided it was a calculated risk worth taking.
So far, there have been no regrets.
Senga completely dominated the competition in Japan, and is now doing the same in America with one pitch as his go-to weapon: the “ghost” forkball.
Look at what he has achieved with the offering.
“Most K’s on one pitch type right now 1. Kodai Senga: 12 K’s on forkballs; 2. Joe Ryan: 11 K’s on 4-seamers; 3-T. Jacob deGrom: 10 K’s on 4-seamers; 3-T. Gerrit Cole: 10 K’s on 4-seamers; 3-T. Nick Lodolo: 10 K’s on curveballs,” David Adler, a stats expert, tweeted.
Most K’s on one pitch type right now
1. Kodai Senga: 12 K’s on forkballs
2. Joe Ryan: 11 K’s on 4-seamers
3-T. Jacob deGrom: 10 K’s on 4-seamers
3-T. Gerrit Cole: 10 K’s on 4-seamers
3-T. Nick Lodolo: 10 K’s on curveballs
— David Adler (@_dadler) April 8, 2023
Nobody has achieved more strike threes using one specific pitch type than Senga with his forkball.
Take a look at this beauty:
Kodai Senga, 84mph Ghost Fork…and Sword. pic.twitter.com/JrDWIFI9L0
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2023
Senga throws a high-90s fastball, a sweeper, and other pitches.
The ghost forkball is, however, his bread and butter.
It’s the pitch he uses as a “put away” offering, the one opposing hitters know it’s coming and yet can’t do anything with it.
Right now, Senga has a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings, with two wins in his two outings and a whopping 14 strikeouts.
The number will keep increasing, and the forkball will likely keep fooling hitters because it’s an elite pitch.
The post Kodai Senga Is Dominating MLB With His Special Pitch appeared first on The Cold Wire.