TORONTO — After spending about three weeks on the injured list, Yusei Kikuchi didn’t want to come off the field.
Kikuchi struck out five and gave up one run to earn the win as the Toronto Blue Jays held off the Detroit Tigers for a 5-3 victory on Thursday. It was Kikuchi’s first start for the Blue Jays since July 5, spending time on the disabled list with a strained neck.
After finishing the fifth inning with back-to-back strikeouts, Kikuchi asked Toronto interim manager John Schneider to stay in the game.
“He came in and told me he was hungry for more, which is great,” Schneider said. “I told him he did a great job and I’m using this as a springboard going forward.
“We’re going to need outings like that from him going forward to get to where we want to go. So he was great for that.”
Kikuchi (4-5) held the Tigers to two hits and a walk while throwing just 67 batters. It was his first win since a 4-1 decision in Tampa Bay on June 30.
“The first thing I actually said to Schneider was, ‘I’m starving, I want to keep going,'” Kikuchi said through translator Kevin Ando. “But I realized I was counting pitches after not throwing for a while.
“Overall, I’m really looking forward to my next step.”
Working with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker saved Kikuchi’s season. The 31-year-old lefty struggled with his command all year until Walker helped Kikuchi find his natural throwing motion during his time in IL.
“Pete came up to me and said ‘hey, look, whenever we do any fielding, almost every time you get it at first base or whatever base right on the money,'” Kikuchi said. “So what he was saying was that this is my natural hand place, maybe.
“So we put together a throwing program to put me in a more athletic position, just letting the natural arm slot work.”
Matt Chapman hit a two-run homer and added a solo shot to lead the Toronto offense (55-44). Alejandro Kirk had an RBI single and added a double, going 2-for-3 for the Blue Jays, while Danny Jansen added a run with a sacrifice fly.
“We’ve all been rooting for Kikuchi all season and been in his corner,” Chapman said. “But I think maybe he can step back for a little bit, regroup, come back and have an outing like that, it can set the tone for a strong finish for him.”
Adam Kimber, Tim Maiza, Yimi Garcia and Jordan Romano all came out of Toronto’s bullpen. Mayza and Garcia retired, but Romano earned the final four outs of the game for his 23rd save of the year.
Willie Castro and Jonathan Shoop each had a home run for Detroit (40-60), with Eric Haase getting an RBI on a sacrifice bunt.
Tyler Alexander (2-4) allowed three runs – two earned – on five hits and a walk over four innings. Will West, Angel de Jesus, Jose Cisnero and Alex Lange came on in relief for the Tigers.
Castro’s home run in the second gave Detroit an early 1-0 lead, but Kirk answered for the Blue Jays in the third, blasting a shot to center field for one. That gave George Springer enough time to score from second to tie the game. Springer had reached base on a throwing error by Detroit shortstop Javi Baez, making it unearned.
Chapman gave Toronto its first lead of the game in the fourth with a 346-foot blast that scored Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to make it 3-1.
Two innings later, Chapman struck again, hitting his second home run of the game and 18th of the year. He has 12 homers since the start of June.
“If I’m making consistent contact and finding the barrel, I know the power is going to be there,” Chapman said. “It’s something I want to happen naturally instead of going out there and feeling like I have to drive the ball or try to do more when I should just let it come to me.”
Schoop chipped away at Toronto’s lead with a homer in the seventh, and then Haase cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 4-3 with a sacrifice bunt in the eighth.
Jansen gave the Blue Jays some breathing room in the bottom of that inning with his fly ball, bringing in Gurriel Jr.
MAKE ROOM — Right-handed reliever Jeremy Beasley was optioned to the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, N.Y., before Thursday’s game. The move left room on the Blue Jays’ roster for Kikuchi’s return from the injured list.
UP NEXT — Blue Jays star Alec Manoa (11-4) will take the mound Friday as Toronto continues its four-game homestand against the Tigers. Brian Garcia (0-0) will make his first start of the season for Detroit.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 28, 2022.
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