PITTSBURGH — It has been a difficult season for Yusei Kikuchi, one fraught with injury and uncertainty.
However, the Angels veteran left-hander was able to feel good on Saturday night as he finally got into the win column.
Kikuchi notched his first victory since Sept. 24, 2025, tossing six scoreless innings against the Pirates in a 6-1 win on Saturday at PNC Park.
Kikuchi had not won any of his nine starts during an injury-plagued 2026 season while posting a 5.65 ERA.
Yet, Kikuchi (1-5) was sharp this time in helping the Angels win for just the second time in their last 12 games, as he scattered five hits and three walks while striking out six. The Pirates were 0-for-6 against Kikuchi with runners in scoring position.
Kikuchi also induced 14 swings-and-misses, one off his season high.
“Yusei was awesome,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He attacked the zone, he got to two strikes a lot, and the velo was there; it was even ticking up a bit. Everything was positive.”
The Halos entered the night with an MLB-worst 53-88 record.
Kikuchi was an All-Star last season, his first with the Angels after signing a three-year, $60 million contract as a free agent in November 2024. However, he missed 98 games this season due to left shoulder inflammation before being activated from the injured list on Aug. 23.
Kikuchi conceded that he spent most of the summer wondering if he would pitch again because of the nature of his injury.
“It wasn’t a 50-50 [proposition], because I was able to throw for three, four months,” Kikuchi said. “It was the first time in my 17-year professional career without throwing for so long. So, with the injury being in such a complex location of my shoulder, it was a coin flip if I could come back this year.”
The Angels scored at least four runs for just the fourth time in 19 games. Wade Meckler hit two doubles; Zach Neto had three hits while Mike Trout also added two, and Josh Lowe belted his 11th home run of the season.
Trout exited the game after being hit by a pitch from Yohan Ramírez on the left hand in the ninth inning. He underwent X-rays postgame, which came back negative.
Meckler was happy to see the Angels’ offense come alive, especially because it helped Kikuchi earn his first win in nearly a year.
“It’s nice to get your starting pitchers wins,” Meckler said. “Our starters have been throwing the ball well the last couple of weeks, and haven’t been getting wins. It’s especially good to see Yusei get a win. He’s been grinding through injuries most of the year, and it’s good to see his hard work pay off.”
The Angels tagged Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft (14-6) for three runs and seven hits in five innings.
Bryan Reynolds broke up the Angels’ bid for their 12th shutout of the season when he hit a solo home run in the eighth inning off Luke Murphy. Reynolds was 3-for-3 with a walk.