Blue Jays' Kikuchi shuts down rumours of "sushi party" in Toronto

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi found himself wrapped up in a bizarre rumour last Friday when the world was wondering where exactly Shohei Ohtani was.

With Kikuchi’s wife, Rumi Fukatsu, posting on her Instagram that she was in Toronto, a local opera singer named Clarence Frazer posted on X that the Blue Jays pitcher had reserved an “entire upscale sushi restaurant near Rogers Centre” for 50+ people.

SOURCE: Yusei Kikuchi reserves entire upscale sushi restaurant near Rogers Centre for tonight. Reservation made for 50+ people. Make of it what you will…#BlueJays #NextLevel #MLB

— Clarence Frazer (@clarencefrazer) December 8, 2023

With Kikuchi and Ohtani being longtime friends, as both went to Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan, the implication was that perhaps it was a celebration for baseball’s most coveted free agent picking Toronto.

TSN Radio host and former Toronto Maple Leaf Carlo Colaiacovo later clarified that he shared the thought over the air as a joke, although Frazer’s post was already well into the rumour mill by that point.

I hope your source isn’t me who shared this news on @FirstUp1050 this morning because someone texted into our show this morning saying this & I made it very clear that this was not a credible report but just something we joked about.

— Carlo Colaiacovo (@CarloColaiacovo) December 8, 2023

Seven days later, Kikuchi finally cleared the air via an Instagram story: there was never any sushi party lined up, if that wasn’t already apparent.

“I wanted to make it clear that I did not have a sushi party last Friday. I can eat sushi for 50+ people, but I certainly never had a sushi party with 50+ people!” Kikuchi shared.

Yusei Kikuchi/Instagram

Ohtani, of course, ultimately did not end up signing in Toronto, instead opting for a $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani and the Dodgers will be in Toronto from April 26 to 28, however. So perhaps Kikuchi and him will be able to link up for some sushi then.

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