The large crowd went quiet.
Mets players stopped in their tracks.
Citi Field, so loud and full of life one moment, suddenly sounded like a library, 34,673 fans all sharing in the same disbelief.
In his 2024 debut, Kodai Senga went down and he wasn’t getting up.
The ace right-hander was holding his left calf in pain.
Eventually, he was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power.
The fans gave him an ovation.
Teammates congratulated him on his performance, 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball that helped power the Mets past the Braves, 8-4, and into the first National League wild card spot.
The team later said he had suffered a left calf strain, an injury that typically takes weeks to recover from.
The building didn’t sound the same the rest of the evening, so much uncertainty over the Japanese hurler who was so impressive on Friday.
Aside from a two-run Adam Duvall homer, Senga pitched extremely well.
He allowed just one other hit, walked one and struck out nine.
With one out in the sixth inning, Austin Riley hit an infield pop-up near the mound.
As Senga ran out of the way, he grabbed at his left calf and fell to the grass.
Audible gasps could be heard.
The injury put a damper on another otherwise fun night in Queens.
The Mets (55-48) cruised to their fifth straight win and improved to 33-15 since May 29.
They blasted three third-inning home runs off Braves starter Charlie Morton, putting the game away with a seven-run frame.
Engulfed in an extended slump, J.D. Martinez produced the biggest swing, an opposite-field grand slam that turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead.
Riley gave the Mets a gift with his error opening the frame.
After Morton hit Francisco Lindor and walked Brandon Nimmo, he fell behind Martinez 3-1.
Martinez then rifled the next pitch over the wall in right field for his first homer since July 1 and 11th of the year.
Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez followed with bombs, as the Mets sent Morton to the showers early.
The 2 2/3 innings pitched marked his shortest outing of the year
Senga, however, was the big news of the night.
The Mets waited until their 103rd to see their star righty on the mound, and now they may have lost him again for an extended period.
He had yet to pitch this year due to shoulder and triceps injuries.
