Senga follows Team Japan as a fan this year

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Japan’s early World Baseball Classic games generally began around 5 a.m. ET -- a challenging television schedule for those on the East Coast with a vested interest. Even Mets pitcher Kodai Senga was able to watch only highlights.

Months before the tournament, Senga made what he called a difficult decision not to suit up again for Team Japan. A star of the 2017 event, Senga tied for the tournament lead with 16 strikeouts in 11 innings -- a total that still ranks in the top 10 in WBC history. He threw five shutout innings in Japan’s second-round clincher against Israel, though Senga bristles at the thought of the lone run he allowed in a semifinal game against the United States. He took the loss that night at Dodger Stadium despite striking out Eric Hosmer, Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey and Giancarlo Stanton in succession.

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“Obviously, it was a lot of fun facing really famous, big-name hitters that I always dreamt of facing,” Senga recalled earlier this month through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “But also the fact that we lost a game because of my pitching -- they got to me and they hit me, and that’s why we lost. So it was a very memorable game in all sorts of ways.”

Now, Team Japan has a chance to avenge that loss for him Tuesday in the championship game against Team USA. Japan advanced with a 6-5 walk-off victory over Mexico on Monday night.

In weighing whether to participate in this year’s Classic, Senga considered various factors, including the effects of flying across the world in March and missing crucial development time back in Florida. One of his mentors, Yu Darvish, had already clued him in on what to expect in the United States.

Senga was aware that the adjustments would be plentiful, including America’s larger, slicker baseballs; an unfamiliar work schedule involving more frequent starts; and changes to diet and nutrition that are an unavoidable cultural issue.

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Rather than compress his adjustment period, Senga decided the responsible thing was to forgo pitching for Japan -- as much as it pained him to do it.

“I thought it would be kind of like an oxymoron saying I want to do well in the big leagues, but not preparing for the big leagues and playing in the WBC,” Senga said.

His decision proved prescient early in camp, when Senga developed tendinitis near the base of his right index finger -- likely the result of squeezing the unfamiliar American baseballs too tightly, according to Mets general manager Billy Eppler. Had that issue popped up during the WBC, Senga might have found it difficult to recover in time for the season. As it was, he made it back to the mound on Thursday and struck out five batters in three innings to quell any lingering worries.

All the while, Senga kept tabs on Team Japan, partly wishing he could have been pitching alongside fellow national stars Shohei Ohtani, Darvish and Roki Sasaki. In the early days of the event, Senga texted a motivating message to his former SoftBank Hawks teammates Takuya Kai, Taisei Makihara and Ukyo Shuto, none of whom played in the 2017 WBC.

Virtually, at least, Senga can be with them in Miami as they try to bring Japan its third title in five WBC tournaments.

“Obviously, a lot of thoughts run through my head when I watch them on TV,” Senga said. “But the reason why I declined their offer was because I needed to get ready for the season. In order to make that reason a reality, I just need to continue to adjust and perform and get ready.”