Yusei Kikuchi is set to make his MLB debut. Will the Mariners starter be the next Japanese pitcher to excel in the majors?

After Seattle Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi made his first spring training start in Arizona in February, he told reporters he was nervous.

“I’ve been pitching in Japan for the last nine years, and I wanted to test what I was doing in Japan against the major league hitters,” he said, speaking through interpreter Justin Novak.

“I wanted to see how they reacted. So, I was excited, and also nervous about that.”

The 27-year-old left-hander, who pitched the past seven seasons for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan’s Pacific League, felt good about that first start even with the jitters. He quickly made a case for why he belongs at baseball’s highest level in that spring camp debut.

The second batter Kikuchi faced was Cincinnati’s Joey Votto, a six-time All-Star and former National League MVP. After falling behind in the count, he struck out Votto with an impressive breaking ball.

That set the tone for a sharp spring training for Kikuchi. He impressed the Mariners staff even as he continued to learn the approaches of American hitters, and ultimately earned the chance to make his major league debut in his native country in Game 2 of the series with the Oakland A’s in Japan.

When Kikuchi takes the mound Thursday morning at the Tokyo Dome he will become the first Japanese pitcher to make his debut in Japan.

And, while the media frenzy surrounding Kikuchi ahead of that start may be daunting, the atmosphere will be familiar.

“One thing is for sure — he knows the mound, and he knows the surroundings,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters in Japan over the weekend.

“Early on in camp, it was easy to see for me that he was more than capable of handling everything we’ve thrown at him. … I see no reason why he can’t go out and give us a really good outing here his first time out.”

Throughout the spring, Servais consistently complimented Kikuchi’s progress, and has remarked on his importance as part of the club’s starting rotation this season.

“No better way to start in than here in Tokyo,” Servais said.

During the nine innings Kikuchi pitched during three spring training starts, he allowed four earned runs on eight hits, struck out six, and posted a 4.00 ERA.

His debut in Japan is sure to draw plenty of attention.

Until the Mariners return to Seattle for their six-game opening home stand next week, and truly move into their regular-season routine, some questions about Kikuchi will linger.

Mainly, how will his stellar pitching career in Japan translate to American baseball?

Mariners starter Wade LeBlanc thinks Kikuchi is more than capable. LeBlanc pitched one season in Japan, said Kikuchi is capable of making the necessary adjustments.

Kikuchi has a fastball that can touch the upper-90s, a convincing slider, curveball and changeup. His routine and approach reminds LeBlanc of former Mariners starter James Paxton.

“His stuff plays,” LeBlanc said earlier this spring. “He has all of the tools you need to be successful in America.”

But, there is plenty to adapt to making the switch to MLB, LeBlanc said.

“The dirt on the mounds is different, the ball is different, the atmosphere plays different,” LeBlanc said.

With the batters, it’s how they approach at-bats.

“Their main goal is to put the ball in play,” LeBlanc said about Japanese hitters. “... Over there, it’s more of, ‘If I can get a pitch that I can handle, it doesn’t matter what it is, or what the count is, I’m going to swing at it.’

“Here, if a guy doesn’t get their pitch that they can do damage on early in the count, they’re going to take it.”

Kikuchi said he has also noticed a marked difference in power that American hitters display.

“Even when they hit ground balls, they’re hard, so I don’t want to leave a lot of balls in the zone, because they’re going to take advantage of that,” he said.

“I think the thing I’ve noticed the most is when I’m trying to get into good counts, and just burn the ball in there as a strike, that’s when they take advantage of my stuff. … That’s what I have to work on moving forward.”

Servais said Kikuchi has continued to attack the strike zone, hasn’t backed off even when he has allowed hits. Plus, he asks the right questions to improve.

“Yusei is a learner, and that’s how he’s wired,” Servais said. “He wants to learn the major league game as quickly as he can.

“He’s very diligent in his work, and he wants to come up with a routine as quickly as he can to adjust to our game, and hopefully get the results he’s looking for.”

Kikuchi said the Mariners’ prior experience with Japanese pitchers — he is the sixth to play for the club — has also helped make the transition to the major leagues easier thus far.

He follows relievers Mac Suzuki (1996, 1998-99), Shigetoshi Hasegawa (2005-05), Masao Kida (2004-05) and Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000-03), who holds the franchise saves record with 129. Hisashi Iwakuma (2012-17) is the only other pitcher from Japan who was a regular starter for Seattle.

“The Seattle Mariners have had so many Japanese players go through this organization,” he said earlier this spring. “They really know how to treat Japanese players, and know how they work when they come over here, so it’s been really easy to make adjustments at this level.”

Kikuchi also follows a long line of Japanese pitchers who have had relatively successful careers in the major leagues.

This season, he is one of five projected on major league rosters, and in well-known company.

Cubs starter Yu Darvish (3.49 ERA in 139 career starts), Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka (3.59 in 132), Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda (3.80 in 77) and injured Angels starter Shohei Ohtani (3.31 in 10) have set an impressive precedent for Japanese pitchers in their careers that Kikuchi will aim to match.

“I think the Mariners have made it clear that they’re committed to helping him figure out the most effective ways for him to adjust,” LeBlanc said. “He’s got the drive. He’s got the will to want to adjust, and want to feel American.

“He doesn’t want to feel like a foreigner that’s trying to play this game. He wants to play this game like an American. That’s going to help in the learning curve for him.”

This story was originally published March 20, 2019 at 11:33 AM.