Having visited Yusei Kikuchi's former high school, Hanamaki Hagashi, in 2023, Rumi Fukastu appeared to run into up-and-coming star Rintaro Sasaki, who is also an alumni of the high school.

"Yusei's combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans," Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

“Yusei’s combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “He is an ...

But no one appeared to be more torn up over Ichiro's departure than his new teammate Yusei Kikucki. Kikuchi, who made his major league debut on Thursday, got to play in one game with his idol.

TEMPE, Ariz. — When Angels manager Ron Washington casually mentioned Thursday morning that left-hander Yusei Kikuchi was going to be the team’s Opening Day starter, he didn’t seem to think ...