Toronto Blue Jays pitcher attains meme status for his bizarre sleep habits

Toronto Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi's impressive turnaround in the 2023 season has proven a game-changer in the team's starting rotation, and it just might have a little something to do with the pitcher's near-obsessive sleep regimen.

After a strong start, Kikuchi left Tuesday night's game versus the New York Yankees in the bottom of the sixth inning due to cramping in his neck, later attributing the mild injury to a disruption in his sleep schedule.

Kaitlyn McGrath, staff writer for The Athletic, reported that Kikuchi said he believes his injury was the result of only sleeping 11 hours the night before, as opposed to his usual sleep of up to 14 hours.

Fourteen hours.

The revelation that Kikuchi typically spends 58.33 per cent of his day fast asleep has Blue Jays X accounts buzzing about the pitcher's impressive ratio of shut-eye to awake time.

I want to live like Yusei Kikuchi. https://t.co/NsfTMjEGMq

— Minor Leaguer (@Minor_Leaguer) September 20, 2023

"14 hours!??? Kikuchi is a damn sloth," reads just one out of dozens of comments ranging from trolling to admiration of the pitcher's excessive sleeping habits.

lol my entire TL is people reacting to Kaitlyn’s tweet about Kikuchi’s sleep habits

— Eephus Curve (@eephusasher) September 20, 2023

The news of Kikuchi's sleep demands has seemingly overshadowed a big win for the Jays amid a tight Wild Card race in the AL.

The boys got a blow out win, first in a million days, a big Bo home run. George’s bat is back , lead off home run on his birthday. Massive W in a tight tense playoff race …. And it’s all eclipsed by Kikuchi’s sleep schedule

— Julie (@jmurphy4284) September 20, 2023

A 'Kikuchi' has seemingly become a unit of time measurement overnight.

Sleeping for a half Kikuchi is apparently the norm (raise your hand if you also need more than 6-7 hours!), and anything exceeding a full Kikuchi may pose a risk to one's health.

Henceforth all sleep shall be measured in Kikuchi units. A full Kikuchi is 12 hrs:
Half a Kikuchi is a standard night of sleep for the average person.
A double Kikuchi means a coma.
A triple Kikuchi means you are dead. https://t.co/THys1k4T00

— Nope SZN (@Lesley_NOPE) September 20, 2023

McGrath later clarified that "Yusei said he goes to bed around 11 p.m. usually and wakes up at 1 p.m.," adding that she would "have a full 3000-word feature on Kikuchi's sleep schedule at some point."