NL DIVISION SERIES: METS VS PHILLIES

October 4, 2024

Carlos Mendoza

Citizens Bank Park

New York Mets

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Who is starting for you tomorrow?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Kodai Senga. Kodai Senga is going tomorrow.

Q. And what do you expect he'll be able to give you?

CARLOS MENDOZA: We'll see. We're going to let it play out. He's been in Florida, throwing, facing hitters. We have a plan. But we're going to go out there and watch him closely, and go from there.

But he's ready to go, and that's why we're going with him on Game 1.

Q. How does he feel about that?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Great. He's excited. He said right away when we talked to him that he was ready to go.

Q. He won't go long, but do you anticipate he will look like Kodai Senga out there?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yeah, and if anybody knows himself better than anybody, it's Kodai Senga. We've been through it a whole year with him. And the times that he goes out there and faces hitters or throws a lot of bullpens and he's not feeling right, he's always letting us know that. And that wasn't the case in this situation. He was the one that approached us and he wanted to know what we were thinking in case, you know, we were here in the Division Series or potential NLCS.

And we just wanted to hear what he had to say and offer. And he was pretty honest with us, and it was an easier decision because of what we've been through with him the whole year.

Q. When did he approach you?

CARLOS MENDOZA: It was probably yesterday. I can't remember.

Q. Was there a little surprise that he actually was going to make it back to the mound?

CARLOS MENDOZA: We always had hopes. But, you know, it's been the whole year. And what made us feel comfortable with this decision was that he was the one wanting the baseball. And I think the only time we had that situation was when he faced the Braves, the only outing he had this year before he went down again.

So, pretty comfortable and excited to go and watch him pitch tomorrow.

Q. How many innings, how many pitches?

CARLOS MENDOZA: We'll see. We'll see. He's going to go out there and he's been building up in Florida.

Like I said, we have an idea. We're going to let the game unfold and we'll make adjustments as we go.

Q. Do you have somebody like as a piggyback option like Peterson or somebody behind him?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yeah, unless something happens in the next 24 hours, I think everybody should be available other than Quintana, and I'll announce Severino is going to go Game 2. So everyone else.

Q. Will you have Megill?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yes.

Q. How challenging was it to get a good read? He's only had five Major League innings for the whole season. Is it tough? What are the challenges? I mean, you feel confident about it, but was it a challenge to amass enough data to figure that out?

CARLOS MENDOZA: We went through it, the only time he pitched. He was facing a really good lineup on the Braves. This is no joke right here when he's facing the Phillies, Game 1 of the Division Series, after he only threw four, I don't know how many he ended up throwing that day when he went down.

But, again, not watching him the whole year and then going out and facing that Braves lineup was pretty impressive. That's why we feel that when he's approaching us, again, that's how he went down the last time. We'll see how he goes, and again, we'll be ready to adjust if we need to.

Q. He pitched a live in Florida on Monday. Was that his most recent live?

CARLOS MENDOZA: Man, we've been in so many cities and back and forth.

Q. That was only four days ago.

CARLOS MENDOZA: Yes, yes, yes. The last time I told you guys that he threw a live BP, that was the last time. He kept throwing, just normal routine, and a bullpen, a long bullpen, ups and downs, so...

Q. That was his first time facing hitters since that little rehab start, how long was his live on Monday?

CARLOS MENDOZA: I'm not sure. He threw a lot.

Q. Was that before or after the game?

CARLOS MENDOZA: I think it was two days ago before the game. And we started having the conversations. We didn't want to get too far ahead. We needed to get here. But then we listened to what he needed to say. And it wasn't an easy decision. Talking to David, the pitching coach, the training staff, but then like I say, it wasn't an easy decision before we talked to him.

He put it out there for us and then that's when we start, okay, what it's going to look like. Then let's get him on the phone. And then talking with him face-to-face today, he makes us feel really good about it.

Q. You have had a lot of iconic moments. What were your thoughts on the playoff pumpkin last night?

CARLOS MENDOZA: I really don't know what to think of it, you know. I'm honest with you. Whatever it takes. We been through a lot and people are giving credit to so many different people and this and that. I see it as we got good players, we've got great people, and we just going to continue to have fun and continue to ride the wave, see what happens.

Q. When you find fun in these serious moments, how does that help them continue to win?

CARLOS MENDOZA: That's what we done the whole year. Even when it was hard for us, there was never panic in that room from the coaches, anybody, and they fed off that. They believe in each other, they continue to believe. They continue to stay humble, to stay aggressive, and going out there preparing, competing, and see what happens. And here we are.