Kodai Senga put together his best start as a Met on Wednesday night, striking out 12 over six innings of one-run ball.
With Max Scherzer looking unstable since the end of last season, and Justin Verlander getting knocked around in his Citi Field debut, Tiki says the team's No. 3 starter actually might be the ace of the staff.
"The guy who we haven't talked enough about is Kodai Senga," Tiki said. "We spent so much time worrying about the ace of the Mets. Can Kodai Senga be the ace? I think Kodai Senga can be the ace faster than max Scherzer gets right or Justin Verlander doesn't get old enough.
"I think Kodai Senga can be the ace that makes the Mets' season viable."
With the pitch clock becoming a factor, Tiki believes the younger Senga is more capable of adjusting than the aging future Hall of Famers that the Mets signed to record contracts, and it may be Senga who ultimately becomes the true ace of the 2023 Mets.
"There's not enough time for them to adjust to be as dominant as they previously were, when they could sit around and walk around the mound," Tiki said. "I don't think they can do that, and I don't think Justin Verlander will be able to figure that out this season. meanwhile, Kodai Senga has an unhittable pitch…and when the moment got the biggest, Kodai Senga stepped up."
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