Start vs. former Blue Jays teammates means extra to Angels’ Kikuchi
Over the course of two and a half years in Toronto, Yusei Kikuchi built many friendships with the Blue Jays. So Wednesday’s start opposite Jose Berrios means something extra to him. He’s had his eye on it for a while.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – As batting practice unfolded at Angel Stadium Tuesday afternoon, Blue Jays players and staff wandered over toward the third base dugout in the hopes of finding a familiar face.
It didn’t take long for the likes of Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt to locate their former teammate, Yusei Kikuchi, now a member of the Angels after signing a three-year, $63 million deal last winter. Over the course of two and a half years in Toronto, Kikuchi built many friendships with the Blue Jays, so Wednesday’s start opposite Jose Berrios means something extra to him. He’s had his eye on it for a while.
“Yeah, I knew exactly that I was gonna throw in the series at some point,” he said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima, a Toronto native who followed Kikuchi to Houston and Anaheim. “So, of course, I circled the calendar, and I’m excited to face those guys.”
After a tough debut season with the 2022 Blue Jays, Kikuchi rebounded with a year and a half of excellent pitching. Along the way, he and his family embraced the city of Toronto, and he made friendships that continue to this day with many current and former Blue Jays players, including Danny Jansen, Bo Bichette, Jordan Romano, Alek Manoah and Trevor Richards.
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Last July, when he was traded to Houston for Will Wagner, Joey Loperfido and Jake Bloss, there was mutual interest in a potential reunion in free agency. But while that did happen with Yimi Garcia, the Blue Jays didn’t engage seriously with Kikuchi, according to the left-hander.
“To be honest, I didn’t get an offer from the Jays,” Kikuchi said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s okay. I saw from afar that Bowden (Francis) was doing really well in the second half last year. And there’s a lot of up-and-coming pitchers in the minor leagues, too, so maybe there wasn’t a spot for me. But I’m still happy for Bowden and (the players) over there.”
The Blue Jays needed starting pitching, showing serious interest in Corbin Burnes and hanging around in the Max Fried sweepstakes before eventually signing Max Scherzer on a one-year, $15.5 million deal. That move hasn’t worked well so far, but neither has Kikuchi’s season started the way he hoped, as the last-place Angels are just 14-20 after beating the Blue Jays 8-3 Tuesday night.
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“Obviously, we’re struggling a bit right now,” Kikuchi said. “But it’s still early. It’s still May. So still trying to keep our hopes up, just trying to keep my confidence up and help these guys too – help the younger guys here and do whatever I can to help lead. I want to be a big part of something special here, that’s still the goal.”
With an ERA of 4.21 and 33 strikeouts compared to 19 walks through seven starts, Kikuchi has been effective enough. But his track record shows he’s capable of more.
“I can be better,” he said. “For April, I think it was it was an okay start, but I still think I can be better for moving forward, so I’m excited to see what happens.”
His next challenge will come against a struggling Blue Jays lineup that includes many hitters he knows well. “Enemies,” he joked in English – though his smile indicated the Blue Jays are anything but.
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Patience of panic
Before Tuesday’s game, a reporter asked Angels manager Ron Washington whether it was time to move Taylor Ward down in the batting order, and the 73-year-old offered some fascinating perspective in response. The reply was also relevant to the Blue Jays and some of their struggling hitters.
“He’s still Taylor Ward even though he’s not doing well,” Washington said. “It’s just a matter of Taylor Ward finding it. Now, I’d rather have a Taylor Ward up there searching to find it than to bring up a (Kyren) Paris or … who else do I got down there? (Yoan) Moncada, who just came back? (Luis) Rengifo, who’s struggling? You see what I’m saying? So I’m not going to take Taylor Ward and bring those three guys at the bottom to make a difference in the top. What are they doing? So I’ll take my chances with Taylor Ward.”
A few hours later, Ward had gone two for three with a single and a two-run home run, rewarding his manager’s confidence. Meanwhile, on the Blue Jays, Anthony Santander rewarded John Schneider with a home run of his own.
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Now, that’s not to say blind faith makes sense or that managers should stay locked into lineups that no longer serve the team. But to Washington’s point, there’s little to be gained by moving someone down in the order unless there’s someone worthy of a promotion, too.
“When you start doing that kind of stuff, that’s transactional,” he said before Tuesday’s game. “And I’m not transactional. Because it might work now and then it won’t work for a week. So no, I’ll let him stay right there where he is. He figures it out and I believe he will.”
