'Ilguk University' Senga, who was scolded by 'Korean mixed blood' Weatherholt, lost for the first time in 6 innings with 2 runs → '161km bang!' O'Brien's first SV

*This content was translated by AI.

New York Mets' "Japanese starting pitcher" Senga Kodai (33) showed off his powerful pitching by striking out nine in his first appearance of the season, but was blocked by the bat of JJ Weatherholt (24), a mixed-race Korean and rookie infielder, and recorded a disappointing loss. He only gave two hits to Weatherholt.

Senga started the away game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri on the 1st (Korea time) and pitched well with four hits, nine strikeouts and two runs (two earned) in six innings.

Senga's maximum speed on the day achieved a quality start (less than three earned runs in six innings) with a fast ball reaching 99.2 miles per hour (about 159.6 kilometers) and a proprietary "folk ball," but he took his first loss of the season in the silence of the batters.

The biggest point to watch the game was the showdown between Senga, a former Japanese national team member, and Weatherholt, a "special prospect" in St. Louis with a Korean grandmother. Senga is the winner of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japan. He did not play in the 2026 WBC due to various circumstances, but he is a Japanese baseball star pitcher from the Softbank Hawks.

However, Weatherholt, who started as St. Louis' first hitter and second baseman, bullied Senga from the first inning. Weatherholt, who was the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the first inning, faced Senda in a close game of full count, but hit the sixth pitch (93.3 mile cutter) well to produce a hit to the right. The failure of the follow-up hitter did not lead to Weatherholt's score, but it was different in the third inning.

Weatherholt, who took his second at-bat with no outs and second base in the bottom of the third inning, added a heavy hit by hitting a four-seam fastball of 97.3 miles per hour (about 157 kilometers) thrown by Senga in a two-ball-1 strike situation. The batting speed was so fast that the runner on the second base could not step home, but the opportunity continued with the second and third bases. The next batter, Ivan Herrera, hit a two-run timely hit to take a 2-0 lead. In the end, Herrera's timely hit decided the game.

St. Louis, which added one run with Ramon Yurias' solo shot in the bottom of the seventh inning, put another Korean Riley O'Brien on the mound in the top of the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead. It was a save situation because it was a three-point lead. O'Brien made his first save of the season, dealing with Lewis Robert Jr., Jarrod Young and Brett Barty all with miscues. O'Brien, who threw 11 pitches on the day, posted a maximum speed of 99.8 miles (about 161 kilometers). O'Brien was included in the final entry of the South Korean national team at 2026 WBC in March, but was unable to participate in the tournament due to injury.

In the end, Japanese national team ace Senga bowed his head after being "humbled" by Korean fielder Weatherholt and blocked by Korean closer O'Brien. It was a day that ended with a complete victory of Korean players in the "mini Korea-Japan match" on the major league stage.

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*This content was translated by AI.