ANAHEIM —Yusei Kikuchi finished his first season with the Angels by posting exactly the numbers you would expect.
Kikuchi, who gave up one run in the Angels’ 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night, posted a 3.99 ERA with the Angels after having a 4.05 ERA last season and a 3.86 mark in 2023.
“Looking at my numbers, it’s been similar the last three years,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter. “So you could take it negatively, the fact that the numbers are still the same. But I can also take it positively as well. I think I have another gear, and I think I can take the positive from this year and I can be even better next year.”
Kikuchi’s season ended with a hint of concern, because he was pulled after five innings with what was initially described as cramping in his forearm. Kikuchi later clarified that it was in the tip of his finger.
“It’s fine,” he said.
Kikuchi was working on a one-hitter when he took the mound in the sixth. Before Kikuchi could even face a batter, Angels athletic trainer Eric Munson came to the mound, along with an entourage that included his interpreter, the manager and the pitching coach.
With no reason to take any chances at this point in the season, the Angels pulled Kikuchi, ending the first year of three-year, $63 million deal with the Angels.
Kikuchi finished with a career-high 178⅓ innings with the Angels. After making the All-Star team, Kikuchi struggled for much of the second half. He finished the year with a 2.16 ERA in his last three starts.
“I finished off on a good note today,” Kikuchi said. “The last three games especially, I think really went well. I think I can take the positives from that, and it’ll lead to good things for next year. Looking forward to it.”
Montgomery said Wednesday’s game was particularly sharp. Kikuchi did not allow a hit until Randal Grichuk hit a homer in the fifth. That ended up being the only hit or run he allowed. He finished with one walk and one strikeout.
“Commanded the ball, was handling the zone as good as we’ve seen all year,” Montgomery said. “Efficient. Who knows how far he would have gone tonight had he not gotten that little cramp?”
Kikuchi picked up the victory because the Angels had a 3-1 lead when he left, which was the result of some better at-bats than usual and the Royals’ shaky defense.
The Angels (71-87) struck out only six times, their fewest in a game since Sept. 10.
The Angels had struck out at least nine times in 11 consecutive games, going 1-10. They averaged 14 strikeouts per game.
It likely wasn’t some collective decision to have a better two-strike approach, but more the result of facing right-hander Stephen Kolek. His 17% strikeout rate coming into the game is lower than the major league average of 22%.
In the second inning, both Luis Rengifo and Christian Moore got hits on two-strike pitches. Rengifo scored on Oswald Peraza’s productive out, a ground ball to short with Moore running.
In the fourth, catcher Sebastian Rivero put a two-strike pitch into play, chopping it back to Kolek. He threw it into center field trying to get Peraza, and a run scored.
“We’ve talked about it ad nauseum,” Montgomery said. “Anytime you get runs with outs, it’s huge. Anytime we put the ball in play, forcing the defense to do something … it’s good to see. It has to happen when you’re trying to manufacture runs.”
Between those runs, the Angels scored in their more typical fashion. Taylor Ward belted his 36th homer of the season.
The Royals cut the deficit to one with a run against Chase Silseth in the seventh, but Luis Garcia and Kenley Jansen handled the final two innings with a one-run lead. It was Jansen’s 28th save of the season.
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