Fastball

Former Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners Pitcher Making History with AL Contender

Yusei Kikuchi has taken his game to another level since joining the Houston Astros.

Brady Farkas

Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth inning at Minute Maid Park on Sept 19.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth inning at Minute Maid Park on Sept 19. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 on Thursday night in Houston. With the win, they are now 83-70 on the season. They are 5.0 games up in the American League West and are zeroing in on yet another playoff berth and division title.

With the loss, the Halos are now 62-91 and they are looking to avoid the worst season in team history.

Once again, starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi dominated on the mound for Houston. He went 6.0 innings, striking out nine. He gave up just one run on five hits. Since being acquired by Houston at the trade deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays, he's gone 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He's struck out 68 batters in just 54.0 innings.

The lefty has made team history through his first nine starts, according to @StatsCentre:

Getting the start in tonight's @Astros contest vs the Angels, Yusei Kikuchi's put up an impressive 59 strikeouts through 8 starts since being acquired from the Blue Jays. It puts him within striking range of being as high as 4th on this list of pitchers to start off hot with HOU

That note came out before the game, so with the 68 through nine starts, he's behind only Randy Johnson (97), Gerrit Cole (93), Justin Verlander (77) and Roger Clemens (70).

The 33-year-old Kikuchi made his debut in 2019 with the Seattle Mariners. He made the All-Star Game in 2021 but wildly inconsistent, going 15-24. He went to the Jays after the 2021 season and spent parts of three years there, going 21-22.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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