=== 3/12/2010 1:32am JST

Daisuke Matsuzaka gave Kikuchi three main tips:

1. When pitching out of the set position, the lower body becomes very important.
2. Don't over-think, do what comes natural.
3. Have fun while pitching.

=== 3/11/2010 1:50am JST

Kikuchi threw 22 pitches from the set position, 15 of which went for balls (31 pitches and 8 balls using his normal no wind-up delivery)  And it was the during the fourth pitch to Kenji Yano in the 2nd inning that he balked.

=== 8:33pm JST

Pitching from the set position, Kikuchi threw his fastball in the 130km/h range.  Hisanobu Watanabe said that based on what he knows of Kikuchi, he might be ready for Ichi-gun some time in May or June.

=== 8:06pm JST

Despite it being a weekday, with snow outside, with temps at about 2 degrees Celsius, 3,743 fans were in attendance at Tuesday's game.

=== 3/10/2010 1:50pm JST

Some comments from Yomiuri Giant players:

Taishi Ohta via Sanspo: He looked confident out there.

Itaru Hashimoto via Sponichi (faced Kikuchi in 2008): I think he had a better fastball in high school.  His slider was also breaking a little early and didn't have a lot of velocity.

Ken Kato via Sponichi: I only saw two pitches so I can't say much, but they did get a lot of the plate.

Daisuke Fujimura via Sponichi: His pitches didn't seem very lively.  His fastball wasn't as good as I thought it would be, and his slider didn't have a lot of bit.

=== 11:29pm JST

Looks like Yusei Kikuchi already has something to start working on until his next start.  Seems he had some trouble pitching out of the set position (decrease in velocity / movement and accuracy).  And while it was fairly chilly, Kikuchi also said that he didn't want to use cold as an excuse for his sub-par outing.

=== 3/9/2010 3:08pm JST

Yusei Kikuchi started an Ikusei League game against the Yomiuri Giants on Tuesday, March 9, 2010.  It was his first "pro" start.  Kikuchi went 2 innings while giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and and 3 walks.  He threw a total 54 pitches and topped out at 144km/h.  Kikuchi also balked in the second inning.

Sanspo has some pictures from the game.

Inning recap (via Nikkan Sports)

1st Inning

Itaru Hashimoto single to center.  Thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.  The first pitch was a fastball clocked at 135km/h.  He threw a total 11 pitches to Hashimoto.

Daisuke Fujimura grounded out to short.

Taishi Ohta grounded out to short on the third pitch.

2nd Inning

Ryuichi Kajimae grounded out to short.

Masakuni Odajima singled to left.

Kenji Yano walked.  Runners on first and second, 1 out.

Hiroki Nakazawa walked to load the bases.

Ken Kato hit a 2-run single into left.  Odajima and Yano scored.

Takahiro Suzuki walked to re-load the bases.

Hashimoto hit a sac fly to center.  Nakazawa scored.

Fujimura grounded out to second.

The Lions held a press conference to introduce their 2009 draft prospects on Wednesday.

Yusei Kikuchi - #17
Masaru Misawa - #4
Toshihiro Iwao - #12
Mitsugu Ishikawa - #53
Kenta Matsushita - #35
Yosuke Okamoto - #30

Hisanobu Watanabe once again said that he wanted to take it slowly with Kikuchi and that he wanted him to focus on building up his body.

NikkanSports is carrying a list of stats for rookie pitchers and a list of rookie pitchers that recorded double digit wins in their first year.

Over 200 members of the media showed up for the Lions press conference.  And there were over 10 TV cameras lined up to record the event.

And Kikuchi Q&A during the press conference (via Sponichi):

Your thoughts right now...

I managed to join a team with a lot of tradition.  I feel a great deal of responsibility to put up results that match the expectations.

On the number 17...

It's a number that supports the ace.  I just want to help out the pitching staff, the team, in whatever way that I can.

Your strengths...

More than just fastballs and off-speed pitches, I take pride in my attitude towards baseball.  I think that's my strength.  I want to be tough and push myself forward.

Matsuzaka said he wanted to win 200 games when he joined the Lions...

I don't think I'm a pitcher that can win 200 games.  I first need to think about building up my body.  In the end, I do want to become a pitcher like Matsuzaka.

Things you've asked Kimiyasu Kudo...

I want to throw for as long as I can, so I asked him what I should do in order to accomplish that.

On the very first pitch you'll throw as a pro...

I still can't imagine myself making that first pitch yet.  I'll think about that once I get to that level.

I also caught a brief interview News Zero (NTV) just ran on their show where he was asked what his 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year goals were.  For his first year goal, Kikuchi said he just wanted to make the Ichi-gun roster.  He then said he wanted to attain double-digit wins by his third year and be a fixture in the rotation and win 15 games by his 5th year.  In his 10th year, he wanted to be pitching at the WBC.

=== UPDATE 12/10/2009 10:44am JST

Not an overly important update, but Sponichi reports there were 232 reporters at the press conference yesterday (not quite the 268 that Matsuzaka drew back in 1998).

The Seibu Lions have decided that they will hold Yusei Kikuchi's press conferences on 12/9.

They will be renting out a hall in a hotel room that can seat about 800 people.  The club believes they'll need more than the 300 seats that were necessary for Daisuke Matsuzaka's press conference.

In other Kikuchi news...

JTB will likely offer a tour package that will allow Kikuchi fans to go to Spring camp to watch him practice.  This past summer, JTB offered a tour package for watching Koshien games that ended up being very popular because of Kikuchi.  They feel that there will be as much, if not more, interest in tour packages that involve being able to watch Kikuchi at Spring camp and during the regular season.

As mentioned before, the Lions will take it slowly with Yusei Kikuchi.  And now it seems that part 2 of that plan will entail bringing Kikuchi into a game out of the bullpen, instead of as a starter.

"Unless he's really putting up some numbers, [his debut] likely won't be as a starter.  But we'll take a look at him and then make a decision," said Hisanobu Watanabe.

A few updates on Yusei Kikuchi: (1, 2, 3)

...Kikuchi's father was relieved that everything is now finally set.  Said his father, "I'm relieved it's beeen decided now.  He's a country boy, please watch over him."

...The negotiations lasted about 3 hours.

...Daisuke Matsuzaka will be keeping a close eye on Kikuchi.  "I've heard he's enthusiastic about learning new things and has got a solid head on his shoulders.  He's a player I want to keep checking up on," said Matsuzaka.

He also added, "There's no reason for him to try and go overboard to prove himself.  If he's got what it takes, people around him will see it.  He just needs to stick to his ways and do things on his own pace."

...Kikuchi picked the number 17 for a number of reasons.  One was because it's his birthday (6/17/1991).  He also wore the number 17 when his team made it to the Koshien during his first year.  Another reason is because it's close to the number 18 (reserved for the staff ace).

And some interview questions (via Sanspo):

What are you thinking right now?

It's been 10 years since I first started playing baseball.  I'm happy that I'll now have a chance to realize my dreams.  But I'm still at the beginning.  I need to put up results in a competitive environment.

Your goals for your first season?

There are a lot of expectations, but I'm still new at this.  I need to strengthen my body and my spirit so that I can make it to Ichi-gun as soon as possible.

The number 17?

I was born on June 17th.  Plus it was the first number I wore when I got to Koshien.  Having a number in the teens requires a lot of responsibility.  It means having to become a reliable piece of the rotation.  I just hope that I can get close to becoming an ace.

It snowed a lot...

It was just a coincidence that it snowed today.  I'd like to try and win as many games.

Your ideal pitcher...

I don't really have any.  I just want to become the type of pitcher kids want to become.  The kind of pitcher that people talk about.

What will you be working on?

I can only really throw a fastball, so I want to increase the number of off-speed pitches I can throw.  I want to improve my game quickly so that I can compete.

Any regrets about the US?

Absolutely none.

Sponichi carried a couple of other questions and answers that I've provided down below:

Which is stronger right now: worries or confidence?

Of course I have some worries, and I'm at 50-50 with expectations.  The only way to get rid of my worries is to practice.  I plan on going home and practicing after this.

You'll have a chance to face Nakamura during camp...

I'd like to see how effective my fastball is against him.  I don't think for one minute that my fastball will be good enough to get him out.  I want to work on building up my body as much as possible in time for camp.

The Seibu Lions offered 1st round draft pick Yusei Kikuchi a contract worth 15M yen and a signing bonus of 100M yen, plus 50M yen in incentives.  His uniform number will be 17.

"I'm happy to have a chance to realize my dreams," Said Kikuchi. " I want to become the type of pitcher kids look up to and everyone talks about.  There will be a lot of responsibility for wearing the number 17, but I'll do my best to become as close to an ace as possible."

The Seibu Lions are planning to hold their first official negotiations with Yusei Kikuchi on the 21st at the Shizukuishi Prince Hotel.

The Lions will likely offer Kikuchi a contract worth 15M yen with a signing bonus of 100M yen -- a first for a player right out of high school.  The club would like to sign Kikuchi in one shot.

...The Lions are working on a custom training menu for Yusei Kikuchi.

Said Hisanobu Watanabe, "I'd like our training coach to personally hand Kikuchi a training menu when we hold our press conference.  We want to give him a chance to get his training started if he has the desire."

...Kikuchi started his practice sessions back up again on Friday.

The Lions could begin negotiations with Kikiuchi as early as November 6th.

...Hideaki Wakui has said that he'd be more than happy to help Kikuchi if he has any questions.  The Lions also appear to be aiming for a press conference for some time in early December.

...Kikuchi could become the new face of Hanamaki City.

If there is enough interest, the city could move towards holding various events (like baseball clinics during the off-season) in his name / honor.  And depending on how his first year goes, the city might even hold a "Yusei Festival."

A sports shop in Hanamaki City is also thinking about selling Seibu merchandise.

Incidentally, Kikuchi was not born in Hanamaki City but rather Morioka City.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's message to Yusei Kikuchi:

I can only tell Kikuchi what I've learned through my experiences, but after the National Athletic Tournament I didn't take a single day off.  I'd like Kikuchi to work every day until the start of the season so that he can stay in Ichi-gun.  He might push himself too hard and people around him might tell him to take it easy, it'll still be important to build up his conditioning so that he can get through camp.  I'm sure everyone's expectations are really high and I'm sure he'll feel the pressure.  But the important thing is to have fun playing baseball.  He needs to avoid getting hurt and keep his own pace going and pitch with his own conviction.

The Lions have a lot of young starters with experience like Wakui and Kishi, and they also have Nishiguchi.  I think he has a lot of people he can ask advice for.  I think it'll be easier for me to advise him since he's a Lions' player.  As long as I have time, I'll be more than happy to answer any questions he might have.  I'll be pulling for him from the US.

Here's an interview with Yusei Kikuchi at his press conference after being selected by the Seibu Lions:

What are you feeling right now?

I feel as if I can finally get into the starting gate.

Your thoughts when Hisanobu Watanabe (Lions' manager) drew the winning card?

I feel some of the responsibility.   And that I means I need to practice harder and work on trying out new things.

Your thoughts on the Saitama Seibu Lions?

They have a lot of good pitchers.  I'd like to become one of them.  So many teams selected me that I want to try and learn as much as possible [with this opportunity].  They won the Nippon Series last year and they have pitchers like Wakui and Kishi.  They also had Matsuzaka too.  I just get the feeling that they have a lot of good pitchers.

Who would you like to pitch again?

I don't think I'm good enough for that yet.  So more than rival pitchers and hitters, I want to work more on my skills and abilities.

What do you feel confident about?  What are you weaknesses?

Right now, all I can really do is throw straight.  I'd like to learn how to throw more off-speed pitches and work on my control more.  I want to work on improving my skills across the board.  I just don't think I can win right now, so I'll start working on that this winter.

What kind of pitcher would you like to become?

I don't know if I'll be able to put up the numbers, but I'd like to become the type of pitcher others will want to emulate.

There was a contest between the US and Japan for you...

I thought a lot about what I wanted to do.  In the end, I think I caused a lot of people to worry about me, like my school teachers, my teammates, and a whole bunch of other peopler.  So more than what I'm thinking or feeling, I just feel really sorry for what I did.

One more time, what kind of pitcher would you like to become?

I of course, would like to win, but more important, I want to become a pitcher that everyone loves, kind of like the face of Japanese baseball, and be supported and recognized by everyone in Japan.

===

Sponichi is carrying a slightly shorter version:

Your new team has been decided...

It still hasn't really sunk in, but I just want to go in an pitch.

Your thoughts on Seibu?

They were Nippon Series Champions last year, and they have a bunch of great pitchers, including Wakui and Kishi.  I've heard that Watanabe was also a great pitcher as well so I'd like to pick his breain.

On players you want to face...

I'm not at that level yet.  I just want to improve my abilities.  Right now, all I can do is throw straight so I want to work on changing speeds and my control.  I want to improve all my skills.

What kind of pitcher would you like to become?

More than the results, I want to be a pitcher people want to emulate. I want to become the face of the [NPB].

Six teams fought over you...

I feel flattered that so many teams selected you?

Your Koshien rivals were also selected...

Imamura, Imamiya, and I are all rivals and I hope that makes us work harder.