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When Yusei Kikuchi was with the Toronto Blue Jays, it didn’t take long for him to endear himself to the local fanbase.
While he had pretty good stats during a three-year run in Toronto, it was his time away from the mound that often established his reputation among the team’s fanbase.
Always one for a good time, Kikuchi often shared stories of his life in Toronto, including documenting his use of a fake name at Starbucks during his daily runs to the coffee chain.
But above all else, one of the reasons Kikuchi seemed to connect with fans was his willingness to enjoy a drink or two, with whisky often being his spirit of choice.
It turns out that his off-field antics haven’t exactly stopped in the offseason. Fellow Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish connected with Kikuchi and his wife Rumi this winter, and posted a few rather embarrassing photos of an intoxicated Kikuchi, including one of him lying down on the floor.
“I had dinner with the Kikuchi couple while they were on vacation at the end of last year,” Darvish wrote on X. “We had a lively and fun time together with both families in the house we rented Kikuchi drank most of the Hibiki that he brought with him, and eventually passed out drunk. He couldn’t find an Uber to take us home, so he ended up staying the night.”
昨年末に菊池夫妻と旅行先で一緒に食事をしました。
自分達が借りていた家で両家揃って賑やかで楽しい時間を過ごせました😊
菊池くんが持参してくれた響は菊池くんがほとんど飲んで、最終的には酔い潰れて、帰りのウーバーも見つからないためお泊まりして行ってくれました🙇♂️… pic.twitter.com/gzemGj5uR7
— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) January 6, 2025
While the photo was hardly something most people would want on the internet, Darvish added that Kikuchi got his permission.
When Kikuchi was a member of the Blue Jays, he tended to celebrate his wins with the Japanese whisky Yamazaki.
“Those bottles are pretty expensive, but [Daniel Vogelbach] joined in the other day, and whoever wants to join in, feel free,” Kikuchi said in an interview with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “The bottle is a little expensive, but I don’t mind buying, and hopefully, a few more wins come our way so I can keep buying.”
Kikuchi signed this past offseason with the Los Angeles Angels, who visit Toronto from July 4 to 6 this summer.
