PHILADELPHIA — One day, Kodai Chiga was pitching in Florida and wondered if staying healthy for a game that might not exist was a waste of time.
Then Pete Alonso hits the game-winning three-run homer in Milwaukee, keeping the New York Mets’ Cinderella season alive, and Chiga joins his Philadelphia teammates for one of the most improbable starts in Major League Baseball. They are boarding a plane to rendezvous. Postseason history.
Chiga, who has pitched just once all season, pitching a total of 5 1/3 innings on July 26, will start Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the mighty Phillies.
Yes, really.
The surprising announcement brings back memories of 2016, when Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber missed the entire regular season recovering from knee surgery but returned in time for the World Series as a designated hitter.
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So how long can he last in the first postseason game between the NL East rivals?
Chiga said, “I’m ready for anything. If I’m told 10 pitches, I’ll be prepared for 10 pitches. If I’m told 200 pitches, I’ll be prepared for 200 pitches.”
Well, when did you throw 200 pitches?
In Japan, no one cares about pitch counts, but Senga said without a smile, “That was five years ago.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was modest when asked, saying he didn’t know how long Chiga would pitch.
“We’re going to wait and see. We’re going to let it unfold. We have a plan, but we’re going to get out there and watch him closely and go from there,” Mendoza said.
In the end, it may be up to Chiga.
After missing the first four months with a right shoulder strain and the last two with a calf injury, he was the one who finally told the Mets that he felt good enough to join the club.
If he feels well and doesn’t have any pain, he could continue throwing until Mendoza tells him it’s time to stop.
“If there’s anyone who knows me better than anyone, it’s Kodai Senga,” Mendoza said. “We’ve been through it for a year with him, and even though he goes out there and faces batters and throws a lot in the bullpen, he’s not like that,” he said. always let us know that, and that wasn’t the case in this situation, and he let us know what we were thinking in case we were here in the Division Series. I wanted to know. Or potential NLCS.
“We just wanted to hear his story… He’s excited. When we spoke, he said he was ready to go right away.”
This guy frustrated the Mets all season, patiently waiting until he was ready, and once he was, he pitched in the sixth inning against Atlanta, struck out nine batters, and then limped off the field.
He spent the rest of the summer rehabbing and was last seen pitching a bullpen session with the Mets’ minor players on Monday at the Port St. Lucie, Fla., complex.
He knows the Mets are waiting for him and finally told the team on Wednesday that they can count on him if they advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Alonso then hit a home run as he heard around New York that the Mets were advancing and Chiga was on a plane.
“I think it’s simply that they’ve been very transparent with me,” Chiga said. And I was able to get this far physically and mentally ready and ready and they were able to hold me together.
“Physically, I feel like I’m ready. It’s a feeling. But I feel like I’m ready.”
The Mets didn’t even know they could make the postseason until they beat Atlanta in Game 1 of a make-up doubleheader on Monday. After surviving a grueling best-of-three series against the Milwaukee Brewers with Alonso’s magic in the bottom of the 9th inning, they could certainly use Chiga to shore up a tired rotation.
But if Chiga’s teammates believed he was an honest and good option, that would be a lie, and some players have already given up on that idea.
“I was surprised,” said Mets starting pitcher David Peterson, who played a key role in Chiga’s absence with a 10-3 record and 2.90 ERA. I think everyone is happy to have him back, especially since he only started once this season.
“So it’s exciting to have him, another elite arm at our disposal, and we look forward to watching him compete.”
Still, you’re talking about a pitcher who has pitched fewer than six innings in the past 374 days taking the mound at Citizens Bank Park in front of an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd.
“I think just getting back to that atmosphere and getting back to game speed is the hard part,” Peterson said. But there’s no doubt [with] If you look at the effort he’s put in and the way he’s prepared himself, he’s ready for the challenge. ”
The Mets say they have no idea what will happen, but given that he dominated a strong Atlanta batting lineup when he finally made his season debut in July, he could potentially make history on the biggest stage of his MLB career. may be repeated.
“Now that we’re playing Game 1 of the Division Series against the Phillies, this is no joke,” Mendoza said. “But again, it was pretty impressive playing against the Braves lineup even though we haven’t seen him all year. We’ll see how he’s doing and adjust as needed.” I’m ready.”
Certainly, Chiga knows the Mets have full confidence in him. Even if they don’t think he’s ready or think he’ll only last an inning or two, they won’t waste a valuable spot on their pitching staff on him. If they had serious doubts about Chiga’s ability to provide innings, they wouldn’t remove the pitcher from the Division Series roster.
Chiga said, “The team believes in me, and I also believe in myself. All I can do is go out there and perform….I’m looking forward to it.”
2016 went very well for Schwarber and the Cubs, winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years.
Since the Mets are creating miracles with their dramatic performances, shouldn’t another team be doing the same?
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