yusei kikuchi sleep

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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."

Lead photo by

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Sports & Play

People in Ontario have a lot to say about Doug Ford wanting to Las Vegas-ify Niagara Falls

Toronto Blue Jays fan pops the question with adorable baseball card proposal

There are doubts soccer superstar Lionel Messi will play this weekend in Toronto

Doug Ford wants to turn Ontario's Niagara Falls into the next Las Vegas

Win tickets to see the Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics

Vince Carter brought to tears with Toronto Raptors jersey retirement news

Will the new 50K-seat stadium in Toronto host sports?

Former Toronto Raptors player says team dumped him over 'lifestyle'