Carson Benge Makes Rookie Mistake After Mets Kodai Senga’s First Save

The New York Mets have found an outfielder they can build around in former Oklahoma State star Carson Benge.

The rookie has been terrific most of the season. After a slow start in April, he's been one of the best young hitters in baseball. And since the trade deadline, he's given the Mets a big boost offensively.

He doesn't make many mistakes, but on Monday night he made one that frustrated his teammate, pitcher Kodai Senga. It's one of those unwritten rules in the baseball player code and Benge’s violation made for a humorous moment.

Carson Benge’s Rookie Mistake

Senga recorded his first career save on Monday against the Atlanta Braves. Milestones like that usually mean the ball is returned to the player. Benge recorded the final out, catching the baseball in right field. He then did what most players do at the end of the game — he threw the ball to a fan.

After getting his first MLB save, Kodai Senga couldn't believe that Carson Benge threw the ball into the stands 😂 pic.twitter.com/RDHASyIDhy
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 11, 2026

Only Senga wanted the ball. During the broadcast on SNY he could be seen hopping up and down and waving at Benge not to throw the baseball. It was comical. Once Benge realized what he had done, he put his hands on his head and realized he had just screwed up. Senga was good-natured about it. The camera cut back to him, and he had a smile on his face. But Benge clearly felt bad in the moment.

It was a big deal for Senga. The former Japanese baseball star signed with the Mets before the 2023 season and was a starting pitcher until earlier this season when the Mets moved him to the bullpen to try and help him out of a rut that saw him go 0-8. In August he’s thrown three scoreless innings in three appearances. But he’ll never have another first Major League save.

Benge has had many milestone since he made the Mets’ opening day roster after winning one of the vacated outfield jobs in the wake of the Brandon Nimmo trade. The Mets are so enthused with his future that he was off-limits when the team was trading players at the deadline. He’s slashing .270/.333/.409 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI in 114 games.

When New York selected him No. 19 overall, he decided to be an outfielder full-time and he quickly soared through the minor league system. In 2025 he slashed .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI.

With the Cowboys, he was a two-way player who was named a freshman All-America and All-Big 12 selection in 2023, and then as an all-American and an All-Big 12 selection in 2024.

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