PEORIA, Ariz. — The multiple fastballs from left-hander Yusei Kikuchi that hit 95 mph per the stadium radar gun at Peoria Stadium and also verified by the Trackman software used by the Mariners baseball operations staff in Sunday’s Cactus League opener do have some level of significance.
The velocity itself isn’t the highlight. Per Baseball Savant, Kikuchi registered 44 pitches of 95 mph or higher out of the 2,721 fastballs thrown in 2019. His average fastball velocity was 92.5 mph.
But it’s how Kikuchi generated those 95-mph pitches that has the real significance to him and the Mariners.