Mets starter Kodai Senga goes 2 innings and passes baton to brilliant bullpen in Game 1 NLDS win

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kodai Senga slapped the dugout railing in a raw display of emotion, a most unexpected Game 1 starter pumping his fist during an eighth-inning comeback that — have you followed these New York Mets? — should really have been expected by now.

New York has mastered the art of the late rally, first in Atlanta, then in the Wild Card Series at Milwaukee and now this so-called stunner — five runs in the eighth against two All-Star relievers for a 6-2 win Saturday over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of their NL Division Series.

“Over the long run and you keep doing that time and time again, it should work out,” Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo said. "And we have enough good hitters that if we all come up with plans and we all take our shots, that we like our chances of breaking through.

“So I think Atlanta, Milwaukee, very recent examples that you have in the back of your head to give you confidence that you’re never out of it.”

Senga played his small part in the win pretty well for a pitcher who was an injured afterthought all season. He tossed two innings in only his second start of the year, throwing 31 pitches before giving way to a sensational bullpen.

The right-hander served up Kyle Schwarber's leadoff home run on his third pitch and left with the Mets down 1-0. He struck out three and walked one; Schwarber's homer was the only hit he allowed.

Senga had thrown just 5 1/3 major league innings all year before he was announced by New York manager Carlos Mendoza the surprise starter for the NLDS opener.

The Japanese star joined the Mets ahead of the 2023 season on a $75 million, five-year contract and became an All-Star in his first season. He went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

But the 31-year-old made just one start this season as he dealt with shoulder and calf injuries. The team’s projected No. 1 starter, Senga also was slowed late in the year by tightness in his right triceps.

He impressed enough against the Phillies that Mendoza could call on Senga again for another start in the best-of-five series.

“If they call on me, I just prepare to pitch that day. That's all there is,” Senga said through a translator.

Mendoza, in his first season as Mets manager, said the plan going into Game 1 was two innings or about 35 pitches.

“We have an idea of what we’re doing there,” Mendoza said. "Hopefully we get to a point where that relationship continues to develop and there’s more conversation, kind of like what I have with the starters, that I have the whole year, and I know when to push and when not to. I don’t think I’m there with Senga.”

David Peterson, who earned his first career save in the Wild Card Series clincher against Milwaukee, kept the Mets in the game with three innings of shutout relief. Reed Garrett tossed two perfect innings for the win.

Phil Maton struck out two in a scoreless eighth — Mets pitchers fanned eight — and Ryne Stanek was touched for a run in the ninth.

Thanks to the five-run burst and a stellar bullpen effort, the Mets could afford to rest closer Edwin Díaz.

The Mets stunned the Phillies and another packed house at Citizens Bank Park, not with a dramatic drive like Pete Alonso's go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning of Game 3 at Milwaukee, but instead they henpecked the bullpen with singles and sacrifice flies.

With Phillies ace Zack Wheeler out of the game after throwing one-hit ball over seven shutout innings, the Mets had three straight batters reach base in the eighth after facing 0-2 counts. Mark Vientos hit a tying single and Nimmo laced a go-ahead single past a drawn-in infield for a 2-1 lead.

All-Star relievers Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm got just one out combined and allowed five runs in the eighth.

Nimmo added an RBI single in the ninth. All eight of New York’s hits — seven in the final two innings — were singles.

After the last out, Mets fans crowded the rows behind their dugout and chanted “Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets!”

Leave it to the Mets to win this one late — they have scored 18 runs in the eighth and ninth innings over six games since Monday. New York joined the 1980 Phillies and 1999 Mets as the only teams to win consecutive playoff games after trailing in the eighth inning or later.

No doubt, the Mets will be flying high when they send right-hander Luis Severino to the mound Sunday in Game 2.

“In Atlanta it was like a two-game series for our lives, and in Milwaukee it was three," Nimmo said. “So you still go into it understanding you’ve got to win three games, and it doesn’t matter how you get there, just as long as you get there.”

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New York Mets Kodai Senga prepares to pitch during the first inning of Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga walks to the dugout during the second inning of Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Mets' Ryne Stanek, right, and Luis Torrens celebrate after they won Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Mets fans celebrate after the Mets won Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Mets fans celebrate after the Mets won Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

The New York Mets celebrate after winning Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Mets' Harrison Bader (44) celebrates with teammates after they won Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo (9) and Tyrone Taylor (15) celebrate after winning Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Bryson Daily was the American Athletic Conference's offensive player of the year, then the MVP of its championship game.

Army coach Jeff Monken thinks his quarterback deserves something bigger — the biggest award in all of college football.

Monken said following the No. 24 Black Knights' 35-14 victory over Tulane on Friday night that Daily should be in New York when the Heisman Trophy is awarded next Saturday.

“I don’t know that there’s anybody in the country that would balk at the idea of the starting quarterback of the Army Black Knights, who’s rushed for 100 yards in a game 10 games in a row on an 11-1 team that just won the conference championship, why doesn’t that guy belong down?” Monken said.

“There’s a lot of great football players in the country but there’s not one who means more to his team than that guy sitting right down there,” he added, pointing down a table toward Daily. “And so it’s the MVP of college football. Who’s most valuable to their team? I’d argue there’s not a guy in America more valuable to their team than Bryson Daily.”

Daily rushed for four touchdowns Friday to tie the AAC Championship game record. That gave him 29 this season, shattering the league record and tying No. 10 Boise State's Ashton Jeanty — a Heisman favorite — for tops in the nation.

The 221-pound Texan gained 126 yards on 25 carries and has rushed for multiple touchdowns in 10 consecutive games. The Black Knights went 4 for 5 on fourth down and Daily kept it himself for touchdown runs of 5, 3, 4 and 7 yards.

“The Bryson Daily guy is like a linebacker carrying the football,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said.

Daily credited the members of his offensive line, saying they played their best game of the season while hearing that the Green Wave — who came in as the No. 2 seed but a 4 1/2-point favorite — had the defensive scheme to stop Army's national-leading rushing attack.

“The line of scrimmage was getting moved 2-to-3 yards and by the fourth quarter 4-to-5 yards,” Daily said. “They played awesome just like they have all year.”

Army's offensive may be simple to predict but hard to stop, in large part because of Daily. The senior has rushed for 1,480 yards this season, even though he missed one game due to injury and still has another to play in the regular season.

That would be next Saturday against Navy in Landover, Maryland. If Monken had his way, Daily would then make a stop on the way back to West Point with hopes of joining Felix “Doc” Blanchard, Glenn Davis and Pete Dawkins as Heisman winners from Army.

“I don’t have a vote in it and they’re not going to listen to me, but he belongs down there,” Monken said. “And I know that the college football world would be thrilled to see that, and how many times in history is there going to be an academy player that legitimately could go down there and everybody feels like that guy belongs? You know what, this is that time in history. That guy belongs down there, that’s what I think.”

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Army quarterback Bryson Daily, second left, celebrates with teammates after the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Tulane Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. Army won 35-14. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Army quarterback Bryson Daily (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Tulane Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Army quarterback Bryson Daily, second left, celebrates with teammates after the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Tulane Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. Army won 35-14. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)