Ex- Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi goes viral after picture of him 'passed out drunk' posted by Darvish.
Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi goes viral after picture of him 'passed out drunk' is posted by friend Yu Darvish.
Always one for a good time, Yusei Kikuchi often shared stories of his life in Toronto, including documenting his use of a fake name at Starbucks during his daily runs to the coffee chain.
But above all else, one of the reasons Kikuchi seemed to connect with fans was his willingness to enjoy a drink or two, with whisky often being his spirit of choice.
It turns out that his off-field antics haven't exactly stopped in the offseason. Fellow Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish connected with Kikuchi and his wife Rumi this winter, and posted a few rather embarrassing photos of an intoxicated Kikuchi, including one of him lying down on the floor.
While the photo was hardly something most people would want on the internet, Darvish added that Kikuchi got his permission.
When Kikuchi was a member of the Blue Jays, he tended to celebrate his wins with the Japanese whisky Yamazaki.
"Those bottles are pretty expensive, but [Daniel Vogelbach] joined in the other day, and whoever wants to join in, feel free," Kikuchi said in an interview with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
In 2022 Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year, $36MM contract with the Blue Jays.
His time in Toronto started to the tune of a 5.19 ERA and 5.62 FIP in 100 2/3 innings of work split between the bullpen and rotation.
In 32 starts for Toronto in 2023, Kikuchi pitched to a solid 3.86 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate against a 6.9% walk rate.
That solid campaign seemed to tee the lefty up for another steady season in 2024, though he once again faced a number of ups and downs.
Kikuchi's time in Toronto last year saw him drastically underperform his underlying metrics, as he pitched to a lackluster 4.75 ERA despite his 26.2% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate both being improvements over the previous season.
Despite that ugly ERA, the lefty had a 3.66 FIP, 3.51 SIERA, and 3.43 xFIP during his 22 starts with the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays traded Kikuchi to the Houston Astros for their #9 prospect, rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido and minor league infielder Will Wagner, their No. 13 prospect.
In November, the Los Angeles Angels signed Kikuchi to a three-year deal, Kikuchi, a client of the Boras Corporation, is guaranteed $63 Million.
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