Sometimes it’s a leg kick, as it was when he struck out Alec Bohm in the first inning of a terrific pitching duel at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.
Other times, Yusei Kikuchi’s celebration is a hop off the mound, as it was when he got Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper swinging in the fourth.
The on-mound theatrics are just part of the show, however, as Kikuchi has emerged as a critical force in the sizzling Jays rotation.
The animated lefty continued his rejuvenated season, allowing just one run in six innings in the Jays’ clutch 2-1 win over the Phillies before a sellout crowd of 42,615.
The Jays’ offence did just enough, scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth to improve to 67-54 as the scent of a playoff race begins to get a little stronger around these parts.
“Most of the time, it’s his reaction on strikeouts and seeing the joy he is pitching with,” Jays manager John Schneider said when asked what stands out about the Japanese southpaw’s sensational season thus far. “Watching him work in between starts and evolving as the season went on and looking at a really confident pitcher has been really cool.
It’s been much more than that, of course, considering entering spring training Kikuchi’s role with the Jays was very much in doubt.
Now, all he has done has gone six consecutive starts allowing one run or fewer, matching Dave Stieb and current teammate, Hyun Jin Ryu.
“You look at 365 days ago and where he was (relegated to the bullpen) and where he is now (one of the best pitchers in the league) and it’s awesome to see a player put in the work and see the results,” Schneider said.
Jays hitters certainly had their hands full with Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, who allowed just three hits while walking four over seven innings.
But with Kikuchi doing his thing, it was enough to win a game that Schneider later described as having a playoff feel.
“He was throwing lightning bolts the first three innings,” Schneider said of Kikuchi, who trimmed his post all-star break ERA to 1.29, second lowest in the majors. “It’s a really tough lineup to navigate, about as deep as you can get. I thought it was one of the best outings we’ve seen from him.
While there was no question that Kikuchi was dealing, Schneider took advantage of a rested bullpen and the return from the injured list of closer Jordan Romano to attempt to shut down the Phillies.
It started with a four-batter seventh from Yimi Garcia, followed by deadline acquisition Jordan Hicks striking out the side in the eighth.
That set the stage for the return of Romano, pitching for the first time since July 28. The velocity was back, as was the excellence, as Romano’s fastball eclipsed 97 miles per hour in a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the save, his 29th of the season.
For a team that has had so much trouble scoring runs in critical situations, the Jays finally had something go their way in the eighth inning.
A leadoff walk by pinch hitter Nathan Lukes started it, followed by a Whit Merrifield single. When Vlad Guerrero Jr. walked to load the bases, the Jays thought they had the winning run on a George Springer grounder, only to see Lukes thrown out in a tight play at the plate.
“We worked some walks, we battled,” said Biggio, who had a pair of walks off of Wheeler. “From our hitters, we saw a lot of pitches and we were able to get on base. Being able to manufacture a run was huge especially with Romano coming in.”
It was another clutch night for Merrifield, who had a pair of hits and now has 42 since the all-star break, most in the AL. Over his previous 34 games, Merrifield is hitting a lofty .353 and a tidy .304 on the season.
The latest step on shortstop Bo Bichette’s return to the lineup was washed out Tuesday night in Buffalo where the all-star was scheduled to be the DH for the triple-A Bisons.
The Jays are certainly being cautious with Bichette, though a return to the big club this weekend remains a possibility. There certainly is a need for the return of the team’s most prolific bat.
Meanwhile, the rains at Sahlen Field also wiped out a scheduled outing for reliever Chad Green, who is cleared to return from his rehab assignment after suffering a concussion last week. Another reliever, Trevor Richards, was also slated to get some work.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
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AP NBA:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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