With ‘confidence and conviction,’ Kikuchi having his best year yet

CLEVELAND — Welcome to the Yusei Kikuchi experience. This year, it’s a good thing.

A year ago, it’s what you’d mutter while watching Kikuchi grind his way through the early innings, searching for the strike zone in the same way you’d feel for a light switch in the dark. That feels so long ago now.

The Blue Jays did nothing to support Kikuchi in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field, which leaves them seven games back of the Orioles in the AL East and 2 1/2 games up on the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot, but the Japanese lefty held up his end of things. This might just be the best stretch of Kikuchi’s career. We’re no longer talking about a “hot start,” we’re looking at a pitcher who is sustaining his success and growing stronger as the summer wears on.

“I don’t know where we would be without him with how consistent he’s been,” said manager John Schneider. “You look up and he’s top 15 in the [American] League in ERA, he strikes out a ton of guys, he’s durable, he’s consistent and he has electric stuff.”

Kikuchi struck out six and gave the Blue Jays seven innings of one-run ball, perfect timing after the bullpen had to cover for the injured Hyun Jin Ryu on Monday night. Kikuchi even had the defensive highlight of the game, reaching back to grab a lob from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with his bare hand as he raced to cover first. In so many small ways like this, you see a level of confidence and freedom that just wasn’t there in 2022.

Over Kikuchi’s last five starts, he’s posted a 1.24 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 29 innings, dragging his season ERA down to 3.53. If you had that number in the office pool back in March, you must have made a typo. 

“It’s confidence and conviction,” Schneider said. “He’s reading hitters’ swings and he and [Danny] Jansen have a great mix early and late. He’s been as consistent as anyone the last couple of months. That’s the stuff that he has.”

Granted, there was some optimism in camp that Kikuchi and his new beard would turn things around after a 5.19 ERA in his first season with the Blue Jays, but that optimism still lived in reality. Perhaps Kikuchi could give the Blue Jays something closer to his ‘21 season with the Mariners — a 4.41 ERA with some inconsistencies — but this is something else entirely. Kikuchi hasn’t just pitched well, he’s done so with more consistency than we’ve seen from him, earning a new level of trust from Schneider.

“I’m not thinking too much right now,” Kikuchi said through a club interpreter. “Before, I was thinking a little bit too much, especially in May when I was getting hit around a little bit. Since then, I was able to make adjustments and I’m able to pitch with confidence these days.”

A year ago, it was Ross Stripling who saved the Blue Jays’ rotation. With very limited depth beyond the MLB level and Kikuchi struggling, it was Stripling who stepped in and delivered an excellent season, preventing the Blue Jays from being exposed. This year, it’s Kikuchi, the presumed No. 5 starter entering the season who held strong and saved the Blue Jays from another season with poor rotation depth, even as Alek Manoah spiraled. 

His teammates love this, too. They see the joy in Kikuchi’s game that wasn’t there a season ago. Before a recent game at Rogers Centre, Manaoh wandered the outfield wearing a T-shirt with Kikuchi’s face and “Yu-Cy Young” across the chest.

It’s not something the rest of baseball is noticing much, which is just fine with Schneider and the Blue Jays, but even Guardians manager Terry Francona praised the resurgent lefty after Tuesday’s game.

“[He was] kind of as advertised,” Francona said. “I mean, there’s that mid-90s fastball and it wasn’t like we pushed him around. We got an infield hit and a double and then hung on for dear life. He’s pretty good.”

The outing won’t get the shine it deserves after Tanner Bibee dominated Toronto on the other side, handing them another shutout loss as the bats fell short in big moments, but as the Blue Jays continue to believe a major hot streak is ahead of them, it’s players like Kikuchi who are keeping the foundation stable in the meantime.