There aren’t many pitchers who throw a pitch so unhittable that it gets its own nickname, but Mets hurler Kodai Senga is one of them.
Senga had his best start of the season on Tuesday night against the Phillies, thanks in large part to his filthy “ghost fork.” Senga himself says the pitch is basically just a splitter. He doesn’t grip it as deeply in between his index and middle fingers the way the traditional forkball is thrown. (That pitch has gone out of style due to injury risk.) But the pitch is so filthy that it doesn’t feel right to just call it a splitter. A pitch that deceptive needs its own name, hence, “ghost fork.”
In case the name isn’t self-evident enough, here’s an amazing view of one Senga threw to J.T. Realmuto on an 0–2 count on Tuesday that nearly brought the Phillies catcher to his knees.
