Yusei Kikuchi has grown into a pretty big fan favourite during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.
But the 32-year-old starting pitcher has likely been pretty popular among his teammates for a relatable reason: alcohol that’s free to them, but expensive in stores.
After each Blue Jays win that Kikuchi pitches in, he’s been drinking the Japanese whisky Yamazaki, while inviting his teammates to join in the post-game tradition.
“Those bottles are pretty expensive, but [Daniel Vogelbach] joined in the other day, and whoever wants to join in, feel free,” Kikuchi said in an interview with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “The bottle is a little expensive, but I don’t mind buying, and hopefully, a few more wins come our way so I can keep buying.”
The cheapest bottle made by the Japanese distillery, a 12-year-old edition, retails for $373.60 at the LCBO.
So far, Kikuchi’s been able to celebrate twice this season, with Toronto having beat the New York Yankees on two occasions that he pitched in.
Having originally signed with the team back in 2022, he is now in his third season with the Blue Jays. Kikuchi is 18-14 with an ERA of 4.19, 334 strikeouts as well as picking up one save in 68 appearances for the Blue Jays in his career.
After wrapping up a three-game set at home against the New York Yankees on Monday, the Jays had an off day on Thursday. They begin a new three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday night, with the first pitch set for 9:40 pm ET.
Kikuchi, who last pitched on Tuesday, isn’t set to throw in any of the three games in the series. But one can only hope he’s got a plan to get some Yamazaki on the road, with Toronto then travelling to Kansas City for a four-game set with the Royals before returning to the Rogers Centre on April 26.
- You might also like:
- A new major movie was just filmed at Blue Jays' Rogers Centre
Follow Channels and Categories