Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher makes interesting admission about transfer during season

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi helped the Houston Astros to a decisive win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

Kikuchi threw 7.0 innings with three hits, allowed three earned runs and two walks, and had six strikeouts. The Astros remain 4.5 games ahead in the American League West and are moving toward another playoff spot.

Assuming the Astros pull it off, Kikuchi will have been a big reason why. Since being acquired in a trade deadline deal from the Blue Jays, Kikuchi has a 5-0 record and a 3.19 ERA.

After Friday’s game, Kikuchi made an interesting admission about himself and the transfer that took him away from Toronto.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic:

Yusei Kikuchi said he “heard a lot of what the fans had to say” immediately after his signing and used that as motivation. He also added, “I was shocked myself that this team gave up three young players” to sign him.

Astros fans – and baseball fans – didn’t think Kikuchi would make much of a difference for Houston, believing the talent package of Will Wagner, Joey Loperfido and Jake Bloss was too deep. After all, Kikuchi has been inconsistent on the mound in the past, going just 4-9 this season with Toronto. He also had a 4.75 ERA with the Jays.

In his career, Kikuchi has a 41-46 record with the Seattle Mariners, Blue Jays and Astros. He spent parts of three years with the Jays and posted a 21-22 record.

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