Yusei Kikuchi, as Japanese fans can easily see on news reports every night and also on the internet and in newspapers, is doing just fine so far in his first MLB spring training with the Seattle Mariners.
But while everyone watches Kikuchi move on from Japanese baseball, there is another side to the story. Namely, how the Seibu Lions will move on from Kikuchi as they try to defend Pacific League title.
Pitching was already the soft spot for the Lions. The club brought up the rear in the Pacific League in 2018 with a 4.24 overall ERA. Seibu's starters were fifth in the league at 4.17 and the bullpen was sixth at 4.38.