Kodai Senga returned to the Mets' rotation from Opening Day in 2026, but the early going has been a struggle. Through 5 starts (as of April 27): 0-4 record, 9.00 ERA, 1.95 WHIP in 20.0 innings — still searching for his first win. His 23 strikeouts (K/9 ~10.35) confirm the Ghost Fork is still a devastating out pitch; the challenge is everything else around it (13 walks, big innings, command inconsistency).
Kodai Senga's signature "Ghost Fork" — a devastating forkball with sharp downward break — makes him one of the most dangerous strikeout pitchers in baseball. After injuries and a minor league demotion derailed his 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Mets, Senga has bounced back in 2026. He returned to the rotation from Opening Day and has been pitching like the ace the Mets envisioned when they signed him in 2023.
5 starts · 23 total strikeouts
| Date | Opp | IP | K | HR | BB | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/27 | vsCOL | 2.2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | L |
| 4/18 | @CHC | 3.1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | L |
| 4/12 |
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| Year | Team | APP | GS | W | L | ERA | IP | K | WHIP | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023BEST | - | 29 | 29 | 12 | 7 | 2.98 | 166.1 | 202 | 1.22 | 0 |
| 2024 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.56 | 0 |
| 2025 | - | 22 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 3.02 | 113.1 | 109 | 1.31 | 0 |
| 2026 | - | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 9.00 | 20.0 | 23 | 1.95 | 0 |
| Career | - | 57 | 57 | 20 | 17 | 3.39 | 305.0 | 343 | 1.29 | 0 |
Senga's latest 2026 stats are updated daily in the stats box at the top of this page. Through April 27 (5 starts), he is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and 1.95 WHIP in 20.0 innings — still searching for his first win. His K/9 of about 10.35 (23 K in 20.0 IP) confirms the Ghost Fork is still elite; the problem is walk prevention (13 BB).
Through April 27, Senga is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA, 23 strikeouts, and a 1.95 WHIP across 5 starts (20.0 IP) — still searching for his first win of the season. The strikeout rate (K/9 ~10.35) confirms the Ghost Fork is still elite; the diagnostic is command (13 BB, BB/9 ~5.85). His 2023 MLB debut (12 starts, 2.98 ERA, 202 K full season) remains the high-water mark — restoring fastball command is the lever for his ERA to return to that level.
Senga's 2026 ERA stands at 9.00 with a K/9 of approximately 10.35 (23 strikeouts in 20.0 innings) through 5 starts as of April 27. The K/9 is among the top tier for MLB starters — well above the league average of about 8.5 — confirming the Ghost Fork is still missing bats. The 1.95 WHIP and 13 walks are the diagnostic: when his fastball command returns, the swing-and-miss profile suggests 2023-debut-level run prevention (2.98 ERA) is recoverable.
The "Ghost Fork" is Senga's signature pitch — a forkball thrown at high velocity (mid-to-upper 80s mph) with sharp, late downward break that dives out of the strike zone. It generates elite swing-and-miss rates because hitters cannot distinguish it from his fastball until the ball drops sharply at the plate. It earned the nickname because the ball seems to "disappear" from the strike zone, ghosting past hitters who commit to swinging.
Kodai Senga was born on January 30, 1993, making him 33 years old during the 2026 MLB season. He signed a 5-year deal with the New York Mets before the 2023 season after a dominant NPB career with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
As a right-handed pitcher, Senga's Ghost Fork is especially effective against right-handed hitters, whose swing path is more vulnerable to a pitch that dives down and away. His 2026 K/9 of about 10.35 indicates he is missing bats against both sides. His 2023 MLB debut (2.98 ERA, 202 K) showed the full package — the current walk issues (13 BB in 20.0 IP) are masking how dangerous he is when command is on.
Senga's next scheduled start is reflected in the schedule section on this page. As a rotation starter for the Mets, he pitches approximately every five days. Check the stats box above for the latest start log and upcoming dates.
Senga's most recent start (IP, K, ER, pitch count, win/loss) is updated in the stats box at the top of this page and on the dedicated "Today" page. The Today page also includes pitch usage by type (four-seam fastball + Ghost Fork), swing-and-miss rates, splits vs RHB/LHB, and a Unico AI breakdown. Live in-play updates run during the game; final results are posted by 18:00 JST.
Kodai Senga plays for the New York Mets as a right-handed starting pitcher. He signed a 5-year deal with the Mets before the 2023 season after a dominant NPB career with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. In 2026 — year 4 of his deal — he returned to the Opening Day rotation as the Mets work to recapture his dominant 2023 debut form (2.98 ERA).
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Data: MLB Stats API · Auto-updated hourly
【2026 as of 4/27】5 starts, 0-4 record, 9.00 ERA, 23 K, 1.95 WHIP in 20.0 IP — still hunting for his first win, but K/9 around 10.35 confirms the Ghost Fork remains elite even as command work continues
| vsOAK |
| 2.1 |
| 3 |
| 2 |
| 2 |
| L |
| 4/6 | @SF | 5.2 | 7 | - | 2 | - |
| 4/1 | @STL | 6.0 | 9 | - | 3 | L |
In-depth metrics aggregated from every at-bat and pitch. Collapsed by default.
Data as of: 2026-06-07
Green = improvement, red = decline. "—" means no data in the same month last year.
Pitching
| Mar | Apr | |
|---|---|---|
| ERA | — | +10.31 |
| K | — | -11 |
| WHIP | — | +1.24 |
Comprehensive 2026 season analysis generated by Claude AI from stats data.
I'll generate the analysis as requested.
AI-generated content (Claude)
Older games on the left, most recent on the right. Color shows how they played.
Best: 6IP+ / ≤1ER · Good: 5IP+ / ≤2ER · OK: 4IP+ / ≤3ER · 4ER · ≥5ER (blowup)
Percentile rank against all MLB players (P25/P50/P75/P90). Triangle = player, line = MLB avg.
ERA vs right-handed and left-handed batters this season. Spot weaknesses by batter type.
| Split | ERA | IP | K | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHB | -.-- | 11.1 | 13 | .262 |
| vs LHB | -.-- | 8.2 | 10 | .366 |
Situational splits for the current season. See strengths and weaknesses by scenario.
| Split | OAVG | OOPS | HR | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHB | .262 | .830 | 2 | 13 | 5 |
| vs LHB | .366 | 1.079 | 3 | 10 | 8 |
| Split |
|---|
Career-long performance trends for every key stat. How does this year compare to history?
| Season | G | IP | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | BB/9 | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 29 | 166.1 | 2.98 | 1.22 |
| OAVG |
|---|
| OOPS |
|---|
| HR |
|---|
| K |
|---|
| BB |
|---|
| Home | .423 | 1.339 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Away | .263 | .775 | 2 | 19 | 8 |
4.17 |
202 |
| 2024 | 1 | 5.1 | 3.38 | 0.56 | 15.19 | 1.69 | 9 |
| 2025 | 22 | 113.1 | 3.02 | 1.31 | 8.66 | 4.37 | 109 |
| 2026Now | 5 | 20.0 | 9.00 | 1.95 | 10.35 | 5.85 | 23 |