The Kansas City Royals' offense limited Yusei Kikuchi to the shortest outing of his four-year Major League Baseball career in an 8-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Kikuchi was knocked out after two-thirds of an inning in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium, allowing three runs on two hits and walking four of the eight batters he faced while throwing only 24 of 45 pitches for strikes.
The Japanese lefty was relieved by Trent Thornton who immediately got the final out in a bases-loaded jam to limit the damage to three runs in the first inning. Kikuchi is the first Jays starter to fail to get through the first inning since Jose Berrios on opening day.
"The starter's job is to get through the fifth or sixth inning, so failing to do that and leaving the mound in the first inning is frustrating," said Kikuchi, who did not factor in the decision.
"I walked the second batter on four straight balls, and the tide turned against us from there. I have no physical issues," he said.
The Blue Jays signed Kikuchi to a three-year, $36-million contract in March to bolster their rotation. They are just 3-8 in his 11 starts with a 33-23 overall record after beating Kansas City 2-1 in the series.