Major League Baseball

Blue Jays’ Yusei Kikuchi blames injury on getting only 11 hours of sleep

Updated Sep. 20, 2023 10:48 a.m. ET

Most people strive to get a quality eight hours of sleep a night, while others apparently aren't themselves if they get fewer than 13.

Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi left his Tuesday night start against the New York Yankees in the sixth inning with neck cramps. While he expects to make his next start, Kikuchi said it was possible that the cramps were related to him getting only 11 hours of sleep the night before, as opposed to his typical 13 to 14 hours, which he expressed to The Athletic.

Kikuchi was pitching effectively prior to leaving the game, as he had struck out seven batters and surrendered just one run in five innings. The Blue Jays went on to win 7-1, improving their record to 84-67.

Toronto enters Wednesday one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers for the No. 2 American League wild-card seed.

Kikuchi, a 2021 All-Star with the Mariners and now in his second season with the Blue Jays, is putting the finishing touches on his best season in the majors. Across 30 starts (158.2 innings), he has recorded a 3.74 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 170 strikeouts, all career bests.

The 32-year-old left-hander will surely want to get his 14 hours for his next two starts, which are scheduled to come against the Tampa Bay Rays (93-59), who are the No. 1 AL wild-card and enter Wednesday fourth in MLB in runs (801) and slugging (.444).

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