Kodai Senga is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who has been producing exceptional performances since his debut in April 2023. He plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets. He made his NPB debut for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2012, where he remained a player until 2022. Kodai quickly rose to fame within a short span of time after his major league debut and will be a prodigy for days to come.
Early life
Kodai Senga was born on January 30, 1993, and grew up in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, where he played rubber ball baseball as a third baseman until he graduated from middle school. The manager of the Gamagori High School baseball team convinced Senga that the quality of his throw was more suitable for the pitcher’s position, so Senga switched positions.
Although Senga and his team could not participate in the Japan High School Baseball Championship or the Japan High School Baseball Invitational Tournament at Koshien Stadium, the owner of a sports shop in Nagoya recommended Senga Kazuo Ogawa, the Fukuoka’s scout manager Softbank Hawks at the time as a potential draftee.
Kodai Senga career
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks selected Senga to be a member of their development team along with Takuya Kai and Taisei Makihara on October 28, 2010, during the 2010 Nippon Professional Baseball Draft. From the 2011 season through mid-season 2012, he competed in informal games against Shikoku Island League Plus teams and amateur baseball teams, and in the minor tiers of the Western League of NPB. On April 23, 2012, he signed a 4.4 million yen contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as a registered player under management.
During the 2013 season, he set a Pacific League record for the most consecutive no-run innings by a relief pitcher (34 1/3 innings). Senga competed on behalf of the Japan national baseball team in the 2016 exhibition games against Mexico and the Netherlands at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. After the conclusion of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, he was selected for the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic roster. At the end of the 2017 season, he held a 13-4 record, a 2.64 ERA, 151 strikeouts in 143 innings, and was the 2017 Pacific League percentage leader (.765).
Rise to Fame
He was selected for the 2019 WBSC Premier12 on October 1, 2019. However, due to the wear and tear of the regular season, he decided against the assignment. Senga unsuccessfully tried to convince the Hawks to put him on Major League Baseball teams in 2019. On September 6, 2019, he threw the second no-hitter for the Hawks for the first time in 76 years.
No player has ever been selected for the development squad’s player draft. On July 5, 2021, he was selected to represent Japan in baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. By defeating the United States in the championship game while not giving up runs in two games, he won the gold medal.
Senga signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the New York Mets on December 17, 2022. He made his major league debut on April 2, 2023, against the Miami Marlins. He threw 5 1/3 innings, allowed just one run, and eliminated eight of the last ten Miami batters the Mets faced in a 5-1 win that gave him his first career win.
Kodai Senga Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Kodai Senga |
| birth date | January 30, 1993 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 30 years |
| Place of birth | Gamagori, Aichi, Japan |
| Profession | baseball pitcher |
| University | – |
| qualification | graduate |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 6′ 1” – in centimeters – 185 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 91kg – in pounds – 202 pounds |
| Hair color | dark brown |
| eye color | dark brown |
Kodai Senga Family | |
| Father | Naonobu Senga |
| Mother | Kazue Senga |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
relationship status | |
| Marital status | single |
| affair | NO |
| Who is Kodai Senga’s girlfriend? | none |
Personal life
Kodai Senga has no partner or children. The details of his previous partnerships are unknown. Well, we’ll update you as soon as we get our hands on it. Kodai is a rather reserved person, but he often uses Instagram. He frequently takes photos of himself out with friends, as well as pictures of food and nature.
Kodai Senga Salary and Net Worth
Kodai Senga is a Japanese MLB player who has a net worth of $5 million. His salary in 2023 will be around 400 million JPY. He also endorses various products and brand offerings which increases his net worth.