Citi Field ‘Ghost Fork’ Graphic Was really Cute Until It Wasn't
The Mets should rethink their strikeout graphic for Kodai Senga.
The Citi Field staff is likely re-thinking its in-stadium graphics after a display celebrating New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga went horribly wrong.
Senga is known for his signature pitch, the Ghost Fork. So, every time Senga struck out someone with the pitch, the Mets put up a cut little graphic of a ghost holding a fork. If he gets a batter out with any other pitch, they use the standard "K" for strikeout.
So imagine how awkward things got on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates when Senga had the scoreboard adorned with what looked like seven ghosts holding pitchforks next to… KKK.
Oof.
It was an unfortunate mishap during what was otherwise a solid game for Senga on Tuesday. The Japanese-born All-star threw 102 pitches with seven strikeouts over 5.2 innings of one-run ball. He's now 4-2 on the season.
New York won the game, 2-1, while Senga built upon his 1.22 ERA — good for second in the league behind New York Yankees' ace Max Fried. The Mets went on to drop Wednesday's series finale against the Pirates but still won the series. They now have a 2.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies at the top of the NL East.
The Mets are 17-5 at home and have won 11 of the last 13 against Pittsburgh at Citi Field.
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga is known for his signature "ghost fork" pitch.
(Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
Next, the Mets head across town for a three-game series against the Yankees starting Friday. Senga's next slated start will come against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday. But it'll be interesting to see if they change the graphics at Citi Field the next time Senga takes the mound in front of the home crowd.