New York Mets Mike Vaccaro Kodai Senga’s second act could bring what Mets thought they’d lost By Mike Vaccaro Published Aug. 18, 2026, 7:57 p.m. ET Mets pitcher Kodai Senga throws a pitch to the Washington Nationals in the ninth inning at Citi Field. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST We will make no bold predictions here. We will not succumb to the seductive siren of the small sample size. If we were predisposed to, we might’ve been inclined to believe that given the first three at-bats of his career, Joshua Báez should break Henry Aaron’s legitimate all-time home run record by the middle of next season (and shatter Barry Bonds’ bogus one 107 at-bats later).
(Naturally, baseball’s inherently draconian codes of Hammurabi quickly and inevitably disabused such folly and immediately caught up to young master Báez, of course, and he was 1-for-his-next-15 heading into Tuesday’s slate. The game is merciless that way.)
Access the Mets beat like never before Don’t miss Mike Puma’s text messages from Queens and beyond — he’s giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Mets.
So we will not lose our minds about Kodai Senga. Not yet.
Not after all of three save opportunities as the Mets closer-of-the-moment, all of which he has converted, the latest Sunday in the Mets’ 4-3 win over the Nationals. That one completed a feel-good weekend sweep and extended the feeling-better stretch of baseball the Mets have experienced since emptying their roster that now stands at 10-3 over their past 13 heading into Tuesday’s game with San Diego.
