The huge crowd went silent and the Mets players stood still.
For a moment, Citi Field, so loud and vibrant, suddenly sounded like a library, and all 34,673 fans shared the same sense of disbelief.
In his debut match in 2024, Kodai Senga fell to the ground and was unable to get up.
The ace right-hander was struggling with pain in his left calf but was eventually able to stand on his own and walk off the field.
The fans gave him a round of applause.
His teammates praised him for pitching well, allowing just two runs in 5 1/3 innings to help the Mets beat the Braves 8-4 and move into the first wild-card spot in the National League.
The team later announced he had suffered a torn left calf muscle, an injury that typically takes several weeks to heal.
The atmosphere in the stadium was different that night, with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Japanese pitchers who had performed so well on Friday.
Aside from Adam Duvall’s two-run homer, Senga pitched very well, allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out nine batters.
With one out in the sixth inning, Austin Riley hit an infield pop near the mound. Senga tried to escape but collapsed to the turf, clutching his left calf. He could be heard gasping.
Injuries marred a fun night in Queens as the Mets (55-48) won their fifth straight game and improved to 33-15 since May 29.
They hit three home runs in the third inning off Braves starter Charlie Morton and finished the game with seven runs.
JD Martinez, who had been in a prolonged slump, showed his biggest swing, hitting a back-and-forth grand slam to turn a two-run deficit into a two-run lead.
Riley gave the Mets some luck with his first error of the inning.
Morton gave up a hit to Francisco Lindor and walked Brandon Nimmo before taking the 1-3 loss to Martinez.
Martinez smashed the next ball over the right field wall for his first home run since July 1 and 11 of this year.
Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez hit home runs and the Mets forced Morton to leave the game early, pitching 2 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year.
The big news of the night, however, was Senga.
The Mets waited until their 103rd game to put their star right-hander on the mound, but now they may be without him again for an extended period of time.
He has yet to pitch this year due to shoulder and triceps injuries.
The Mets are already without rookie starting pitcher Christian Scott (UCL sprain) and will use Tyler Megill in Saturday’s start.
The bullpen was already thin despite general manager David Stearns’ trade for relief pitcher Ryne Stanek on Friday, and now the starting rotation is facing similar issues.
The Mets have been hesitant to use Jose Bout as a starter because he has performed well as a relief pitcher.
They may now have to reconsider those plans.
