Yusei Kikuchi sparked the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-2 win over the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, striking out nine and allowing a single run over six innings of four-hit baseball.
Making his first home start of 2023 at a sold-out Rogers Centre, the resurgent left-hander stayed on the attack against a formidable Tampa Bay lineup that arrived in Toronto with a 13-0 record before going 0-2 against the Jays.
Kikuchi (2-0) issued one walk and surrendered his only run on a fourth-inning solo home run by Taylor Walls. He threw an array of pitches to keep the Rays batters off balance, mixing up a 153-kilometer-per-hour fastball with his slider and changeup.