"It’s an expensive and rare Japanese whiskey” - Yusei Kikuchi treats Blue Jays teammates to $3,000 bottle after each win
Everyone has their own way of celebrating a victory and for Yusei Kikuchi, it is an ‘expensive and rare’ bottle of Japanese whisky. On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 5-4. It was also Kikuchi’s first win of the season.
To celebrate, the Japanese star started a new tradition involving a bottle of Yamazaki whisky in the Blue Jays clubhouse. However, the whisky bottle is not an ordinary one, as reporter Hazel Mae quoted Kikuchi:
"It's special. It is an expensive and rare Japanese whisky. The 2022 edition of the single malt Spanish Oak Yamazaki whisky holds particular significance. I wanted to find the year, I signed with the Blue Jays."
Kikuchi added that he keeps his alcohol consumption to a minimum during the season, but a victory is a good enough reason to celebrate with his teammates. Mae also mentioned the price of the All-Star’s favorite whisky which is a whopping $3,000.
Yusei Kikuchi said through an interpreter (via MLB.com):
“Those bottles are pretty expensive, but [Daniel Vogelbach] joined in the other day and whoever wants to join in, feel free. 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.”
“This is the most confident I’ve felt” - Yusei Kikuchi after first win of the 2024 season
Tuesday’s game saw Yusei Kikuchi’s stellar outing, as he recorded his season-high nine strikeouts in six innings while giving one run, four hits, and one walk. He holds a record of one win and one loss with a 2.08 ERA.
After the game, Kikuchi felt quite confident and said (via MLB.com):
“This is my sixth year in MLB, but I think this is the most confident I’ve felt. It’s not just my performance, but in all of my pitches right now.”
In 2022, Yusei Kikuchi inked a three-year, $36 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He struggled during his Blue Jays debut, going 6-7 with a 5.19.