Mets’ Kodai Senga wears ghost glove, dazzles in MLB debut

MIAMI — Kodai Senga struck out eight in his major league debut, wearing a glove with an image of a ghost and a pitchfork in reference to his “ghost forkball,” leading the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins 5-1 Sunday.

The 30-year-old left-hander agreed to a $75 million, five-year contract after going 87-44 with a 2.59 ERA in 11 seasons with the Pacific League’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He overcame a difficult first inning and allowed one run, three hits and three walks in 5⅓ innings.

Senga averaged 96.8 mph with 32 fastballs — the fastest 99 mph — and threw 26 forkballs, 18 sweepers and 12 cutters. His eight strikeouts tied Kenshin Kawakami and Masahiro Tanaka for the fourth-most by a Japanese pitcher in an MLB debut, trailing only Kazuhisa Ishii and Daisuke Matsuzaka (10 each), and Hideki Irabu (nine).

Senga’s day ended on his 88th pitch, a strikeout of Jazz Chisholm Jr. to lead off the sixth. The large contingent of Mets fans at Loan Depot Park cheered Senga while he returned to the dugout.

Dennis Santana, John Curtiss and Stephen Nogosek completed the four-hitter.

Tommy Pham had three hits and three RBIs, finishing a triple shy of the cycle as the Mets won for the third time in the four-game opening series.

Trevor Rogers (0-1) gave up four runs, four hits, two walks and two hit batters in 4⅓ innings.

After four-pitch walks in the first to Pete Alonso and Mark Canha loaded the bases, Jeff McNeil hit a dribbler between the mound and first. Rogers flipped the ball past first baseman Yuli Gurriel as two runs scored.

Senga labored through a 36-pitch bottom half as Miami’s first five batters reached and narrowed the deficit on Jorge Soler’s RBI double. But Senga escaped a bases loaded jam by striking out Gurriel and Jesus Sanchez, then retiring Jon Berti on a line drive to right.

Pham hit his first homer for the Mets, a two-run drive in the fifth and had an RBI double in the seventh when his sinking line drive to center drive eluded a diving Chisholm.