Kikuchi gave up one hit and struck out three batters over two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.
The southpaw tossed 19 of 30 pitches for strikes. Kikuchi is coming off his best MLB season to date, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 181:48 K:BB through 167.2 innings in 2023, but per Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, he's looking to take another step forward by ditching his splitter for a circle change, a pitch that should have more separation from his mid-90s fastball. "His delivery was awesome, stuff was really good, too," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Monday's game. "Changeup's going to be a big pitch for him - especially against those righties. I thought everything that he set out to do today, he did. Fastball command was there, slider was sharp - really, really good first outing for him."
More News
-
Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Hit hard in Saturday's loss
• -
Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Produces quality start
• -
Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Sharp in Tuesday's win
• -
Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Strikes out nine Wednesday
• -
Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Impresses against Yankees
• -
Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Allows three runs in loss
•