Sometimes, the journey to a dream is not just long—it reshapes the dreamer. Not every star gets to walk the red carpet into the majors. Some have to scratch at the door for years, waiting, wondering if it will ever swing open. The game could be the same, however, the road to get there? Completely distinctive.

For Kodai Senga, that path took nearly a decade. The stage the international star longed for felt so close, yet just out of reach—locked behind rules, timing, and situations. What came next was not just a signing—it was a rescue mission that transformed everything.

Long before the ink dried on Senga’s $75 million deal, the star had already been through a marathon. The pitcher’s career in Japan with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks was very good, however, there was always something missing—the scope to compete in the USA. Yet, as the Japanese star’s peers crossed the Pacific through the posting system, Senga remained grounded. Not because he was not ready, but because the Hawks simply did not allow it. Such a restriction turned his aim into a waiting game that stretched nine relentless years.

When asked what that wait felt like, Senga did not think twice before saying: “like, when you take a toy away from a kid and the kid is just very down, because I was not given the opportunity to come here”. It was not just a professional issue—it was personal. The Mets star highlighted himself as a distinctive individual because of it. Still, he did not stop. “I tried to use that in my favor and did what I could at the time so that I could have success right from the get-go, my first season, my first game in the big leagues,” he said.

That quiet storm inside the star finally identified relief when the Mets came calling. At the center of that pitch was former GM Billy Eppler. “Billy Eppler had a fantastic presentation. I feel like he has a really good understanding of Japanese players and Japanese culture, so that definitely helped a lot,” Senga said. That deal was a bridge to the life he had been denied.

Then came the clincher. Just as the meeting was winding down, Eppler dropped a game-transforming tease: “Hey, we might be signing another Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander, just by the way.” That single line transformed everything. “At that point, my heart was really pulled towards the Mets,” Senga said. Who could deny joining a rotation with Verlander and Scherzer?

The wait could have been long, however the arrival was louder than ever. This was not just related to making it—it was related to reclaiming the years lost.

When the spotlight gets heavy

Just when it looked like Senga had finally settled into the dream he had waited nearly a decade to chase, the ghosts came back—this time, quite literally. The Mets thought it had a charming gimmick on its hands: every time he struck out a batter with his now-iconic ghost fork, a smiling ghost carrying a fork lit up the scoreboard. However, in a current game against the Pirates, seven strikeouts morphed into a design nightmare. Seven ghosts in a row next to old ‘K’s’ made for a picture that unintentionally echoed a haunting symbol.

Such an awkward moment mirrored something very intricate. Despite success, Senga himself still feels like he is playing catch-up with the fans. “Quite honestly, I do not feel like I am very good at any point during the game this year,” he confessed. That is coming from a star with a jaw-dropping 1.22 ERA this year. This data is also second-best in the entire MLB. Senga also has a 4-2 record this year.

For someone who battled so long to arrive, it is clear: the real fight is not just on the mound. It is in the culture shock, the force to perform and yes, the ghosts of perception that .

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