Tonight Yusei Kikuchi will face fellow Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka for the first time. Kikuchi takes the mound after his best performance of the year, a two-hit complete-game shutout against the Blue Jays. He was given a planned extended break after that start. Kikuchi, two-and-a-half years younger than his opponent, grew up near Tanaka and is excited for the opportunity to face him.
“I found out it’s going to be against Mr. Tanaka on the other side,” Kikuchi said, through a translator, of today’s start. “So it’s going to be a very special game and moment for me.