Yusei Kikuchi made his Astros debut with 11 strikeouts, pitching well. Interview with Manager Espada: Trading Yusei Kikuchi was the right decision. Japanese translation and subtitles included.

Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who was traded from the Blue Jays to the Astros, made his first start in his new home against the Rays. He struck out 11 batters, including striking out eight consecutive batters in his debut, setting a new major league record. He gave up three hits and two runs in five and two-thirds innings, pitching well in his debut game after the transfer, and the team won 3-2. Kikuchi’s interview after the game and manager Espada praised Kikuchi in an interview. The trade of Kikuchi was also discussed before the game on the MLB Network program. He was hit with a two-run home run in the first inning, but Kikuchi is a great pitcher. As Kikuchi himself and manager Espada commented, he changed his pitching style to effectively use the changeup and pitched brilliantly. The Astros analyzed that this changeup could be a weapon, which may have been one of the reasons for the bullish trade. He was a valuable piece for a starting pitcher staff that was thin due to injuries. We hope he continues to pitch well and advance to the postseason. ▼Original video https://x.com/SpaceCityHN/status/1819591982412374290 https://x.com/SpaceCityHN/status/1819588231337271646 https://www.mlb.com/video/dan-plesac-breaks-down-kikuchi-s-pitching-arsenal ▼Audio by Kasukabe Tsumugi VOICEVOX: https://voicevox.hiroshiba.jp/