NEW YORK – Kodai Senga will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers on Sunday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced on Saturday. Sean Manaea starts Game 2 on Monday.

Game 1 starter is the spot the Mets envisioned for Senga when they reported for spring training with the right-hander as their ace. Getting there, however, went sideways.

Senga did not make his season debut until July 26 after starting the season on the injured list with a strained posterior capsule in his right shoulder. He left that July outing in the sixth inning with a calf strain that knocked him out for the remainder of the regular season. Only the Mets reaching the postseason can offer Senga a path back to the mound in 2024.

That happened and Senga returned to pitch two innings in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He allowed one run – a leadoff home run in the first inning to Kyle Schwarber – and struck out three in the Mets’ 6-2 road victory.

This time in Los Angeles, Senga will face a dangerous Dodgers lineup with a longer leash. Mendoza said Senga could log at least three innings. Senga refused to put a limit on his start.

“There is no number I have in mind,” Senga, 31, said through an interpreter. “I’m going to keep going until they take the ball away from me. And until then I’m going to give it 100%.”

The Mets opted to have Senga start Game 1 over Manaea, the team’s ace since July, on regular rest after the left-hander held the Phillies to one run over seven innings in their NLDS win in Game 4.

“From the beginning, we wanted our guys in what we felt was the best position to have success,” Mendoza said, “given the physical position they are in.”

One factor in the decision, Mendoza noted, was that Senga, a very routine pitcher, “stayed as close to his routine as possible.” But that could change later in the series.

Senga has been ordered to pitch on regular rest (four days between starts) in just three of his 31 starts since joining the Mets from Japan last season. He posted a 4.61 ERA over 13⅔ innings during those outings. The fourth time could come in a potential Game 5 at Citi Field.

“I am prepared for anything,” Senga said. “I don’t expect to reach 100 pitches tomorrow. And how many days I have in between doesn’t matter right now. We have to win the game, so if they call on me, I’ll be ready.” “