Kodai Senga was a man on a mission Tuesday, as he carried the New York Mets on his back and led them to a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at home. Senga was on point from start to finish of his duty on the mound, and in the process joined an exclusive statistical club in the big leagues of Japanese-born pitchers with at least 70 punchouts in their first 10 starts, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Kodai Senga was dealing against the Phillies, recording 9 strikeouts while giving up just 1 hit in 7 IP. His 70 K in his first 10 career games are the 3rd most by a Japanese-born pitcher in MLB history, trailing only Hideo Nomo (83 K in 1995) & Masahiro Tanaka (79 K in 2014).

Kodai Senga also did not issue a single walk against the Phillies, which was a welcome sight for him and the Mets after he dished out eight walks in his previous two starts. In fact, Senga's start against the Phillies was the first time he's not allowed a walk in a game this season. The seven innings he logged in on the hill versus Philadelphia are also the most he's had in a game in his first year in the big leagues.

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So far in the 2023 MLB regular season, the 30-year-old Senga has a 5-3 record to go with a 3.44 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 10 starts.

The Mets are certainly hoping that Kodai Senga will be able to sustain that form and become a norm for him going forward. They signed Senga to a five-year deal worth $75 million back in December.