NOVEMBER 3, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM
YUSEI KIKUCHI
9-10 W-L •
1.20 WHIP •
4.05 ERA
9-10 W-L
1.20 WHIP
4.05 ERA
Surprise! Yusei Kikuchi walks away from $13 million option with Mariners Kikuchi adds another intriguing arm to what is considered to be an already-strong class of available pitchers.
Kikuchi chooses free agency after Mariners decline option
Left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi is leaving the Seattle Mariners after the team declined a club option on the All-Star and Kikuchi opted for free agencyNOVEMBER 3, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Declines player option Kikuchi declined his $13 million player option Wednesday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Impact Kikuchi made 29 starts for the Mariners in 2021, and he posted a 4.41 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 163:62 K:BB in 157 innings. The 30-year-old's decision to turn down his player option comes as a bit of a surprise following his three seasons in Seattle, but he'll hit free agency ahead of the 2022 campaign.
NOVEMBER 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Mariners expect to be active and spend after 90-win season
Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto says the team's ownership has provided assurances he can be aggressive in improving the club during the offseasonOCTOBER 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mariners hope unexpected 90-win season is just the beginning
The Seattle Mariners are young and talented and seem to have changed the narrative about their future after an unexpected 90-win seasonOCTOBER 4, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Haniger's homer helps M's beat A's 4-2, close in wild card
Mitch Haniger hit his 100th home run and third in two games, and the Seattle Mariners pulled within a half-game of the second AL wild card berth by beating the Oakland Athletics 4-...SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Start skipped Kikuchi's turn in the rotation is being skipped Tuesday and he may not make another start this season.
Impact Tyler Anderson is starting Tuesday on short rest while top prospect Matt Brash was called up to piggyback Anderson. Logan Gilbert is listed as Wednesday's starter, so all signs point to Kikuchi moving to the bullpen over the final few games of the season. The 30-year-old lefty has a 7.82 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 14:9 K:BB in 12.2 innings over his last four starts.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Haniger hits 2 HRs, M's beat A's to gain in wild-card race
Mitch Haniger hit two identical three-run homers and the Seattle Mariners gained precious ground in the AL wild-card race with a 13-4 win over the Oakland AthleticsSEPTEMBER 28, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
How Mariners could approach Kikuchi's spot OAKLAND -- Has Yusei Kikuchi made his final start of the 2021 season? After three tough innings that his offense bounced back from on Thursd...
SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 • MLB.COM
Next start in question Kikuchi may not take his next turn through the rotation, which is currently projected for Tuesday against the Athletics, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Impact Kikuchi allowed three earned runs on three hits and four walks across just three innings in his start Thursday against the Athletics. Manager Scott Servais was asked after the game if Kikuchi would make his next start as the team vies for a spot in the wild-card game, though the skipper did not tip his hand regarding the decision. Kikuchi has failed to complete more than three innings in three of his last four starts and allowed 11 earned runs across 12.2 frames in that four-start stretch, which has inflated his ERA to 4.41 on the season.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Bassitt returns but Mariners beat A's 6-5 for 4-game sweep
Chris Bassitt pitched three scoreless innings less than a month after surgery to repair facial fractures, but the Seattle Mariners rallied against Oakland’s bullpen for a 6-5 victo...SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bassitt expected to start for the Athletics against the Mariners
The Athletics will roll out Chris Bassitt to the mound Thursday and the Mariners plan to give Yusei Kikuchi the startSEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Seager, France HR, Mariners top A's, move up in playoff race
Kyle Seager hit his 35th home run for a career-best 100 RBIs, Ty France also connected, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics for the third straight night with a 4-1...SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Struggles in short start Kikuchi (7-9) took the loss against Kansas City on Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out three over three innings.
Impact The southpaw gave up a pair of runs on four hits in the first inning, and things didn't get much better for him after that. The Royals managed two hits in each of the following two frames, with a pair of doubles in the third accounting for their third run. Kikuchi needed a whopping 86 pitches to get through three innings, leading to his early exit. He has lasted three or fewer innings in three of his past six starts, posting a 7.03 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over that stretch. His next trip to the mound is likely to come in Oakland next week.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Kowar expected to start for Kansas City against Seattle
The Royals will send Jackson Kowar to the mound Sunday and the Mariners plan to give Logan Gilbert the startSEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bubic and Royals dent Mariners, Kikuchi with 8-1 victory
Kris Bubic allowed two hits over 6 1/3 innings in his best start this season, and the Kansas City Royals beat Seattle 8-1 to put another dent in the Mariners’ slim playoff chancesSEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bubic expected to start for Kansas City against Seattle
The Mariners will start Yusei Kikuchi on Saturday and the Royals are expected to counter with Kris BubicSEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Anderson expected to start as Seattle hosts Boston
The Mariners will send Tyler Anderson to the mound Tuesday and the Red Sox plan to give Nathan Eovaldi the startSEPTEMBER 14, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Whiffs eight in no-decision Kikuchi allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out eight across five innings in the loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision.
Impact Kikuchi gave up just one extra-base hit in the game that led to his lone run allowed. He did not receive enough run support to be in line for the win. It was a much better start than his previous outing, when he failed to get out of the second inning. The 30-year-old has a 4.23 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 157 strikeouts in 151 innings this season.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Kikuchi expected to start for the Mariners against the Diamondbacks
The Mariners will send Yusei Kikuchi to the mound Sunday and the Diamondbacks will give Tyler Gilbert the startSEPTEMBER 12, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Have the Mariners reached the end of their rope with Yusei Kikuchi? It seems hard to envision a scenario in which pitcher Yusei Kikuchi fits in with Seattle for 2022 and beyond.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Roughed up by Astros again Kikuchi (7-8) allowed six runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks and didn't strike anybody out over just 1.2 innings as he took the loss Monday against the Astros.
Impact Monday was certainly a performance to forget for Kikuchi. He issued a walk in the first but didn't face any real trouble. He then walked three straight batters to begin the second frame and the bases eventually cleared after Jake Meyers hit a three-run homer to make it 5-0. The Astros continued to pile on with two more doubles to make it 6-0 before Kikuchi's night was finally over. The southpaw managed to throw just 19 of his 42 pitches for strikes and looked completely lost after blanking the Astros last week. It's hard to predict how Kikuchi's starts will go because he's really hit or miss at times. He now has a 4.32 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 149:57 K:BB over 146 innings and is in line for a weekend start against the Diamondbacks.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Odorizzi expected to start as Houston hosts Seattle
The Mariners will start Logan Gilbert on Tuesday while the Astros are expected to counter with Jake OdorizziSEPTEMBER 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kikuchi not sharp in loss to open Astros set HOUSTON -- It all snowballed for Yusei Kikuchi on Monday, and he and the Mariners now find themselves having returned to the glaring questio...
SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 • MLB.COM
Meyers has homer, 4 RBIs as Astros rout Mariners 11-2
Rookie Jake Meyers homered and drove in four runs as the Houston Astros jumped on Yusei Kikuchi early and sailed to an 11-2 win over the Seattle MarinersSEPTEMBER 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
