New York Mets Reveal Pitching Plan For First Two NLCS Games

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced who will start in Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers.

Oct 5, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

With the National League Championship Series just a day away, the New York Mets have announced their starting pitchers for the first two games against the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers in a battle for the pennant.

On Saturday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters that right-hander Kodai Senga will start Game 1, while left-hander Sean Manaea will take the mound in Game 2.

Kodai Senga will start Game 1 of the NLCS for the Mets pic.twitter.com/RXGuSpDbUZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 12, 2024

Senga, 31, made a much-anticipated return in the previous series, unexpectedly starting Game 1 of the Division Series after making just one major league start during the regular season due to shoulder and calf injuries. In that outing, he tossed two innings on 31 pitches, allowing a leadoff home run to Phillies’ slugger Kyle Schwarber before settling in to record one walk and strike out three. Originally set to pitch a deciding Game 5 if needed, he received extra rest after the Mets eliminated the Phillies in four games.

With limited time to build up his pitch count, there was uncertainty about how long Senga would go in his last appearance. One day before his NLDS start, he joked that he felt comfortable throwing anywhere between 10 and 200 pitches. This time, however, it is less of a mystery—Mendoza indicated that Senga will go about three innings.

Manaea, 32, faces no such restrictions. The 6-foot-5 left-hander has emerged as one of the Mets’ most reliable starters in 2024, boasting a record of 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over 32 regular season starts.

Game 2 will mark Manaea’s third start this postseason. He threw 86 pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second game of the NL Wild Card Series, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four over five innings.

In Game 3 against the Phillies, Manaea was dominant, allowing just one run on three hits, striking out six, and walking two across 91 pitches in seven frames. That day, he pitched with a heavy heart, having learned before the game that his Aunt Mabel had passed away. As he left the mound to a standing ovation, he blew a kiss to the sky.

The Mets will face a Dodgers team that finished the regular season with a league-best 98 wins, powered by a star-studded lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman in the top three spots.

Los Angeles just rallied from a 2-1 series deficit to advance, eliminating the San Diego Padres with a 2-0 victory in Friday’s winner-take-all Game 5. After Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 63 pitches over five innings in that game, fellow right-hander Jack Flaherty, who followed him in Game 2 of the NLDS, is lined up to start opposite Senga in Game 1.

First pitch at Dodger Stadium is scheduled for Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET on FOX.