RIGHT-HANDER Kodai Senga struck out eight batters in his major league debut, leading the New York Mets to a 5-1 win over the host Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon (Monday in Manila),
Senga (1-0), who played 11 years of pro ball in Japan, is considered a rookie at age 30. He allowed three hits, three walks and one run in 5 1/3 innings. All eight of his strikeouts came on his best pitch, which has been called a “ghost forkball” because it disappears out of the zone.
Mets backup center fielder Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one walk as New York took three out of four games in this season-opening series. Pham finished a triple short of the cycle.
Marlins starter Trevor Rogers (0-1) lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and four runs, three earned. He struck out four. Miami cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first as leadoff batter Luis Arraez singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Jorge Soler’s double. But that was all the offense the Marlins could muster.
In other games, it was the Guardians 6, Mariners 5 (10 innings); Twins 7, Royals 4; Cardinals 9, Blue Jays 4; Rangers 2, Phillies 1; Rays 5, Tigers 1; Red Sox 9, Orioles 5; Nationals 4, Braves 1; Reds 3, Pirates 1; White Sox 6, Astros 3
Brewers 9, Cubs 5; Angels 6, Athletics 0; Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1; and Padres 3, Rockies 1.
Guardians 6, Mariners 5 (10 innings)
Mike Zunino went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run against his former team as Cleveland defeated host Seattle.
Enyel De Los Santos (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and Trevor Stephan worked the 10th for his first save. The Guardians took three of the four games in the season-opening series. Cleveland scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th after starting the inning with a runner on second, per extra-inning rules.
After striking out Amed Rosario, reliever Penn Murfee (0-1) intentionally walked Jose Ramirez. Josh Bell then walked on four straight pitches to load the bases. After pinch hitter Josh Naylor was announced, the M’s countered with lefty Gabe Speier. Naylor hit a soft chopper in front of the plate that Speier fielded and tossed to catcher Cal Raleigh for a forceout. Raleigh tried to turn a double play but his throw to first was low and Ty France couldn’t pick it out of the dirt, allowing Ramirez to score the deciding run from second. — Field Level Media
