Against all odds, Kikuchi has become a big-time starter for Jays

The days of Yusei Kikuchi as a punchline are all but over.

Against almost all odds, with too many hold-your-breath innings, too many questions and with doubt being his middle name, Kikuchi has worked his way into an upper rotation kind of starting pitcher for the Blue Jays.

Not just a hope of a starter on any given game. Not just another fifth starter in a rotation with just four. Kikuchi has become something of the real deal. Not just another arm, but one that has become a top-20 starter in an American League with 15 teams. With the kind of statistical numbers that would make him a top-two starting pitcher on most teams in the AL.

And yet, he’s probably the fourth starter for the Jays, which tells you something about Toronto’s pitching depth.

On Wednesday afternoon against his former team, the Seattle Mariners, Kikuchi was in complete command for the six innings he pitched, allowing just one earned run. He gave up only three hits. He struck out nine. If the Blue Jays had anything resembling offence against the Mariners, he would have left the game before the seventh inning with a lead and Toronto would likely have won.

But Kikuchi must be getting used to this. He’s started three games for the Jays this season. The team has scored one run in total for him while he’s pitched his 15.1 innings this season, with a rather neat earned run average of 2.30.

“A lot of credit goes to him,” said Jays manager John Schneider. “He’s evolved as a pitcher.”

Kikuchi credits a lot of his success to “adjustments on my slider.”

This is what pitching for the Jays will be like this season. It won’t get much support.

The Jays have played 13 games and scored in the first inning in one of them. Getting the lead early isn’t something they do. They gave up six hits in total — three after Kikuchi left after six innings — and allowed six runs.

The Jays had six hits, the only run coming from a game-tying blast by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.