The game Yusei Kikuchi's pitched against Toronto today was one everybody has been waiting for since January 1 when he signed with the Mariners. It only took 230 days for him to live up to all the excited talk that signaled his arrival in Seattle. Over the months, deeper into the season, that excitement turned into frustration, disappointment and doubt he'd ever live up to his hype.
A 4 and 8 record and no wins since June 23 only fueled the growing fear that, once again, the Ms had made a poor choice and wasted millions on a dud starter. Ranking second in yielding home runs didn't help.
Patience, lots of coaching and some hard work and real discipline on his part paid off, at last. Today's line tells the story: a 9-inning complete game, no runs, two hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. A so-called Maddux, a game named after Hall of Famer known for throwing CG shutouts in less than 100 pitches. Kikuchi needed only 96.
Another promising sign for 2020.
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