ANAHEIM -- After posting a 15.63 ERA in four rehab outings and allowing five runs in five innings in his return from shoulder inflammation on Aug. 23, lefty Yusei Kikuchi bounced back with a strong showing against the Phillies on Sunday.
Kikuchi went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in a 5-2 loss in the series finale at Angel Stadium. Kikuchi gave up a solo homer to J.T. Realmuto in the third and a solo shot to Edmundo Sosa in the seventh while the offense struggled, as the Angels were swept by Philadelphia in three games and dropped their seventh straight.
But it was still a good sign to see Kikuchi finally put together a strong outing, while also showing better velocity and command. His fastball averaged 95.7 mph, per Statcast, and touched as high as 97.8 mph on a swinging strike to Derek Hill in the fifth inning.
“My fastball command is something I've been working on for the whole season, not only with the fastball, but all pitches,” Kikuchi said through interpreter Koki Goto. “In my recent starts, I was able to get strikes, get ahead in the count, so I think I'm going in a good trend right now. But the two homers allowed were in the heart of the zone, so in the times that matter, I need to execute it more in a tougher spot.”
It was evident early on that Kikuchi had his stuff working, as he didn’t allow a hit through the first two innings before Realmuto’s homer on a slider he left over the middle of the plate. But Kikuchi settled down to retire 11 of the next 14 batters he faced, including Alec Bohm on a nifty double play started by shortstop Oswald Peraza to end the top of the sixth.
“I thought Kikuchi was great,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “The stuff was there last outing, it's just today was a little bit more consistent. I felt like the location on his fastball was better. Used some breaking balls. Seven innings, two runs and it was two solo shots, so I thought he pitched great.”
Kikuchi, though, gave up a go-ahead homer to Sosa to open the seventh on a splitter that caught too much of the plate. It was the second big blast of the series for Sosa, who also hit a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning on Friday. It was one of just six splitters thrown by Kikuchi, as he mostly stuck to his four-seamer (57%) and slider (23%).
“The first strike, I was able to get a strike with the slider. So for my second pitch, I was trying to get a swing and miss or a foul off my splitter,” Kikuchi said. “And try to go back to my slider on the [next] pitch, but the splitter command was a little bit high. I knew he hit a homer off of a splitter two days ago, so in that situation, I should have maybe thrown it a little bit lower. But that's part of the game.”
Kikuchi was able to get through the seventh after pitching around a one-out double from Bryson Stott, and finished with 92 pitches on the afternoon, with 61 going for strikes. It marked the first time in nine starts this year that he pitched at least seven innings, with the last time coming on Aug. 20, 2025 against the Reds.
Kikuchi, 35, is looking to finish the season strong and remains under contract for 2027 after signing a three-year, $63 million contract before last season. He was an All-Star in ’25 when he had a 3.99 ERA in a career-high 33 starts, but he worked to raise his arm angle this season and made only seven starts before landing on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
He missed nearly four months recovering from the injury, but his showing against a tough Phillies lineup proves he can still be healthy and effective the rest of the season and beyond. He has a 5.65 ERA this year and is still looking for his first win, but his peripheral stats are strong with 43 strikeouts compared to 16 walks in 43 innings this year, and he’s pleased with how his fastball is coming along.
“I think my fastball was really good today, especially the fastball command,” Kikuchi said. “Being able to pitch inside, east-west, where I wanted to, I had no complaints.”