Seattle Mariners Three Stars of 3-2 Week 13
Star #3: Yusei Kikuchi
Win, 5.2 innings, 6 Ks, 1 run, 2 hits.
For the 10th consecutive start, Yusei Kikuchi gave up three runs or less and dropped his overall ERA to 3.34, which puts him at #10 overall in the American League. His WHIP comes in at 1.04 for the season which now ranks sixth in the American League and would be the lowest WHIP by a Mariner since Felix Hernandez was the Cy Young runner up in 2014 (0.92). Although Marco Gonzalez had a 0.95 WHIP in 2020 in 11 starts, it’s hard to count the shortened season. This would put Kikuchi’s effort as one of the top 5 seasons ever by a Mariners pitcher.
While he was still very efficient in his game against the White Sox, Kikuchi didn’t need to be overly efficient. He only gave up six base-runners in 5 2/3 innings. The Mariners took an early lead and extended it to 5-1 before Kikuchi started the sixth inning. However, in the sixth, he walked three batters and got the hook. Up until that point Kikuchi was cruising and dominating. and Servais saw an opportunity to pull his ace with the lead.
Kikuchi’s average against currently ranks fourth in the American League at .194. Only one Mariners hurler ever had a season with a batting average against of .200 or under. In 1997, Randy Johnson was 20-4 with a 2.28 ERA and a .194 BAA. The Big Unit finished the season as the A.L. Cy Young runner-up, but it was possibly his best season as a Seattle Mariner.