Yusei Kikuchi won his final start of the season Friday after pitching five-plus innings of the Toronto Blue Jays' 11-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Blue Jays reduced their magic number to one by beating a Tampa Bay outfit they look likely to face in the American League Wild Card Series.
Kikuchi (11-6) struck out four, while allowing three runs on five hits and a pair of walks. He left the mound at Rogers Centre with an 8-2 lead after surrendering three straight hits, including a two-run homer, with none out in the sixth.
With the regular season wrapping up Sunday, Toronto sits second in the AL Wild Card race, one game ahead of the Houston Astros, with the Seattle Mariners a further game back.
"I felt nervous, in a good way. There would have been a lot of pressure on us if we didn't win today, so winning in that situation felt big," Kikuchi said.
The left-hander registered an MLB career-best 3.86 ERA this season, his first with double-digit wins since debuting in the majors with Seattle in 2019.
"I'm glad I could keep my place in the starting rotation throughout the year," he said.
Toronto racked up 16 hits against the Rays, who have already clinched the top AL Wild Card berth.
