Yusei Kikuchi (Toronto Blue Jays), who was an ugly duckling, has transformed into a swan.
Kikuchi achieved three no-hit, no-run runs in an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates held at Rycom Park in Bradenton, Florida on the 8th (Korean time).
On the starting mound, Kikuchi lightly defeated Rodolfo Castro and Brian Reynolds in the first inning with a ground ball to second base and a fly to right field, respectively. With runners on second out, he gave up a walk to Andrew McCutchen, but returned Carlos Santana with a grounder to second base to end the inning.
Kikuchi walked lead batter Jack Swinsky in the second inning. He got the first out count by guiding Jared Triolo to a ground ball to second base스포츠토토. He allowed Jack Swinsky to steal second base and became second base with one out, but he induced Kanan Smith-Eunjiba to center fielder fly and put Austin Hedges to sleep with a strikeout on a swing.
Kikuchi completed his first three-way inning by tying Bae Ji-hwan (center fielder fly), Rodolfo Castro (shortstop grounder), and Brian Reynolds (strikeout on a swing) in the third inning. Kikuchi passed the mound to Ricky Tideman in the fourth inning.
With this, Kikuchi continued a scoreless march in three consecutive exhibition games. The contents of the pitch are impeccable. He gave up only one hit in seven innings. His strikeout/walk ratio is also good. He struck out nine times and allowed just three walks.
Kikuchi, who joined Toronto for 3 years and 36 million dollars (47.4 billion won), recorded 6 wins and 11 losses (average ERA of 5.46) in his first year of debut, and played 102 games over 4 years, staying 21 wins 31 losses with an average ERA of 5.02. .
As he felt more regret than expected, he got the modifier ‘eating and running’. He started as a starter last year, but suffered the humiliation of being demoted to the bullpen as he showed a sluggish performance.
Toronto’s starting lineup will include Kevin Gaussman and Alec Manoa, who performed well last year, followed by Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt, who will start 1-4. Kikuchi continued his excellent pitching streak by recording three consecutive scoreless runs in the demonstration game. His entry into the starting rotation seems passable