The trade deadline brings up all kinds of emotions. For fans, there’s excitement to see what new players will be joining their favourite teams. But for the players themselves, the deadline can be stressful as they and their families await the news that they have been moved.
Those emotions bubbled to the surface for Yusei Kikuchi on Friday as he left the field for possibly the final time as a Toronto Blue Jays pitcher.
Kikuchi was lifted from the game with two outs in the fifth inning after allowing five runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Sensing the moment, some Blue Jays fans gave Kikuchi a standing ovation as he walked off the field. Kikuchi took off his cap and tipped it toward the crowd before entering the dugout.
Cameras showed Kikuchi with some tears in his eyes as he watched Génesis Cabrera get the final out of the inning.
Kikuchi is in the final year of a three-year contract with the Blue Jays and will become a free agent this winter, making him a prime trade candidate for a Toronto team far from the playoff picture.
He has spoken in the past about how much he and his wife Rumi love the city of Toronto. Whatever happens over the next few days, if Kikuchi is traded, he will leave Canada with a whole country of fans supporting him.
