Former Seattle Mariners Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi Goes Viral After Drunken Night w/ Yu Darvish
Former Seattle Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels earlier this offseason. This means that the M's will now see Kikuchi multiple times per season over the next few years.
He's one of several moves that the Angels have made this offseason to try and get back into contention, bringing in Jorge Soler, Kyle Hendricks, and Travis d'Arnaud as well.
Though Kikuchi signed earlier this offseason, he evidently saved his big celebration for just recently. A picture of a drunken Kikuchi went viral on social media as he was sleeping on the floor after a long night. Kikuchi and his family had been with fellow Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, and Darvish posted the following on "X:" (Please note the post below has been translated from Japanese to English through the translate button on "X:")
I had dinner with the Kikuchi couple while they were on vacation at the end of last year.
We had a lively and fun time together with both families in the house we rented
Kikuchi drank most of the Hibiki that he brought with him, and eventually passed out drunk. He couldn't find an Uber to take us home, so he ended up staying the night
※ Permission was granted to take this photo.
昨年末に菊池夫妻と旅行先で一緒に食事をしました。
— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) January 6, 2025
自分達が借りていた家で両家揃って賑やかで楽しい時間を過ごせました😊
菊池くんが持参してくれた響は菊池くんがほとんど飲んで、最終的には酔い潰れて、帰りのウーバーも見つからないためお泊まりして行ってくれました🙇♂️… pic.twitter.com/gzemGj5uR7
Now, hey, that's certainly one way to celebrate around the New Year!
Kikuchi is 41-47 lifetime with a 4.57 ERA. He's spent six years in the big leagues with the Mariners, Blue Jays and Astros. He made the All-Star team for the M's in the 2021 season before leaving in free agency.
Following a mid-season trade last season, he went 5-1 down the stretch for Houston. He struck out 76 batters in 60.0 Houston innings.
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