The New York Mets starting pitcher joins rare baseball history with NLDS start

The New York Mets open the National League Division Series on Saturday afternoon against division rival Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets advanced to the NLDS after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in three games in the wild card round.

The Phillies earned a first-round bye by winning the National League East and having a better record than Milwaukee, which won the National League Central.

In Game 1, Mets hurler Kodai Senga will get the start despite only making one start in the regular season. After an outstanding rookie season in 2023, Senga was injured in spring training. He came back for one start and then injured his leg. He was taken off the injured list for this series.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Senga is making a unique baseball story with his start:

Longest gap between a pitcher's last start and a postseason Game 1 start:

05/23/2024 – 10/01/2024 AJ Smith-Shawver: 131
July 26, 2024 – October 5, 2024 Kodai Senga: 71
09/07/1910 – 10/17/1910 Chief Bender: 40
09/11/2012 – 10/07/2012 Jason Hammel: 26

h/t @MLBNetwork Research Team

Senga joined the Mets a season ago after a long career in Japan and immediately paid dividends. The 31-year-old made 29 starts and was named a National League All-Star. He finished 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA, placing him second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and seventh in the Cy Young race.

The Mets and Phillies will play again on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch at 4:08 p.m. ET. The first two games of the series will be played at Citizens Bank Park.

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @FastballFN.