There haven’t been many positives to take away from the New York Mets’ 2023 season, but first-year pitcher Kodai Senga has certainly held up his end of the bargain.
Senga arrived from Japan’s NPB after signing a five-year, $75 million deal with the Mets in December. And he quickly introduced big-league hitters to his signature pitch: the ghost fork.
The pitch is amazingly deceptive and looks like a fastball to the hitter until the pitch takes a life of its own with forkball movement. In Monday’s 11-2 win over the Chicago Cubs, Senga’s ghost fork basically had shortstop Dansby Swanson in disbelief after a strikeout.
Kodai Senga, Disappearing 79mph Ghost Fork. 👻🍴
About 70 inches of Drop on Dansby's Bat and Helmet . pic.twitter.com/hJO0Im88zr
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 8, 2023
Swanson struck out against the ghost fork in his first at-bat. And his second at-bat didn’t go any better in the third inning. Swanson fell behind in the count, and Senga finished him off with a 79 mph ghost fork that broke 49 inches vertically.
Again, that’s a pitch that initially looks like a fastball to the batter. There’s not much anyone can do about that, and Swanson couldn’t hold back his frustration after the strikeout. He spiked his bat and helmet as the inning came to a close.
Fans were also impressed with the pitch. A ghost fork like that one is almost impossible to hit.
This was how Twitter reacted
How do you even hit that? C’mon man!! https://t.co/VUGHm4buUW
— LAMAR ODOM (@LamarOdom) August 8, 2023
I didn't have Senga's 🍴 on the pitch-level DIGS board. I do now, and wouldn't you know it… #1 offspeed pitch in the majors (100+ thrown). #LGM https://t.co/GTB7Hqvt3R pic.twitter.com/9RHuX9xLNY
— Pitcher DIGS (@DigsPitcher) August 8, 2023
One good thing about this year is watching kodai making people look stupid https://t.co/DXAP93w1Kw
— vinny from the bronx (@Amyklobuchar420) August 8, 2023
It's been a miserable season in Queens but Kodai has been so much fun to watch all year. https://t.co/ho2zYbkR91
— Kevin (@Kpower90) August 8, 2023
watching this last night and everyone in the room gave one of these 😬
brutal pitch, poor Dansbae https://t.co/ELurdsbSyu
— joe toscano™ (@thejoetoscano) August 8, 2023
I mean that pitch is just absolutely filthy https://t.co/ZEu0Pzt5qi
— Payton Martinek (@pmartinek23) August 8, 2023
That pitch was nasty and Dansby knew it lmaooo https://t.co/VZSzHCSNJ5
— B.I. (@DatBoy_B) August 8, 2023
Waterfall 👻 🍴 #LGM https://t.co/iCuFrh6Vj6
— Eric Monacelli (@ermonacelli) August 8, 2023
/ / Oh, that's just unfair.
The drop of that was ridiculous. https://t.co/TCqgfmnMhw
— El Rey de todo el mundo. (@Honedhiscraft) August 8, 2023
