[Lin Zhijie/Comprehensive Report]The Toronto Blue Jays launched the Japanese left-hander Yuxing Kikuchi today. Although he started in the first 4 games of the season, his results were not ideal, but he faced the New York Yankees today. The pitching action and ball allocation were adjusted, and the results really worked, helping the team to win the opponent 2-1, and also cut off the Yankees’ 11-game winning streak while stopping the losing streak.
Kikuchi started 4 games in the first 4 games of the season. He only pitched 5 innings against the Boston Red Sox on April 20, and his season defense rate was 5.52. However, in today’s game against the Yankees, he showed extremely high pressure. He only had 3 hits in 6 innings and missed 1 point, and 7 strikeouts. It was the first high-quality starter of the season. Although the line also stalled and scored only 2 points, he still won 2-1 in the end.
According to media reports, Kikuchi’s pitching content today was very different from when he played against the Houston Astros in the last game. He revealed that he made adjustments in the combination of sliders and Carter’s balls, and also moved the ball. Getting rid of the habit of kicking too much when pitching, he said, “Tonight, I felt a lot more comfortable with the little tweaks we made, and I think that’s the biggest difference.”
It is worth mentioning that the starting rotation lineup of the Blue Jays this season is the best in the league. The starting rotation supported by Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah has a combined WAR value of 2.6. It’s the best in the major leagues.