Baseball: Senga wins home debut for Mets against Marlins

Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga won his second game for the New York Mets on Saturday, fanning six over six innings of one-run baseball in a 5-2 decision against the Miami Marlins.

Senga's home debut gem saw him improve to 2-0 for his MLB career, having earned his first win in impressive fashion against the Marlins last Sunday in Miami.

The 30-year-old right-hander used his trademark ghost fork pitch to great effect at Citi Field, where his only blemish was a solo home run surrendered to Jazz Chisholm in the sixth.

Senga allowed three hits and three walks while receiving strong offensive support in the form of two-run homers from Pete Alonso and Eduardo Escobar.

"It was great to be able to throw strikes when I wanted them," Senga said. "I was able to pitch with my usual mindset."

The former SoftBank Hawks ace said he felt comfortable on the mound in front of a sellout home crowd of 42,306.

"The home fans cheered really loudly," said Senga, who has a 1.59 ERA and 14 strikeouts through his first two MLB starts. "The mound also felt really easy to throw from."

Oakland Athletics pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (0-2) took the loss in his second MLB start, giving up five runs over 4-1/3 innings in an 11-0 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida.

At Detroit's Comerica Park, Masataka Yoshida went 0-for-2, drew three walks and scored two runs starting as the designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox in their 14-5 win over the Detroit Tigers.

© Kyodo News