The highly anticipated Yu Darvish MLB debut turned out to be more entertaining than I had hoped.
After watching the first couple of innings, this classic RUN DMC song popped into my head and I couldn't resist using it in my post:
But to his credit, Darvish finished strong and earned the win. By the time the third inning rolled around, he had settled down and ended up pitching 3.2 more innings. During that time, he gave up only 2 hits, 1 walk, and no earned runs.
However, in the battle between WBC teammates... Ichiro was the clear winner. He went 3 for 4 with two singles, a double, and scored two runs against Darvish.
But in the end... Ichiro may have won the battle, but Darvish's team won the war.
Congratulations Darvish-san! I'm looking forward to following your career and collecting some of your cardboard.
What about the fans...
What was your first impression of Yu Darvish?
Happy Tuesday... and sayonara!
He confirmed in post game interviews what was obvious on TV, there was just way too much adrenaline flowing in that first inning when he was having trouble finding the strike zone. Everyone was expecting a Strasburg-style debut, and instead he walked his first batter on four straight terrible pitches. Thankfully he did settle down, and he plays for probably the only team in baseball that could see a pitcher with a 4+ ERA end the season with 20 wins.
ReplyDeleteI think his second outing will be much better if he can just remember that he's one of the best pitchers in the world and force the batters to beat him and not the other way around.
Yeah... I don't think Darvish is ever going to complain about run support. It's pretty amazing the amount of power that the hitters bring to the table in Arlington.
DeleteEither way, I just hope Darvish has a solid career over on this side of the Pacific.
My first impression of Darvish (a couple years ago) was, "Hey that guy isn't Japanese!" Then I learned that he's half, just like me :)
ReplyDeleteAs for his first MLB game...wow. Not much to say other than collapse in the first inning, but he did pick things up and pitch better. I'm looking forward to his 2nd and 3rd starts. That'll really show us what he's capable of.
Yeah... It's hard to judge him on that first inning. We've all had the adrenaline flowing before... and know the effects. Heck, I've heard of people lifting cars up when they're amped.
DeleteDefinitely looking forward to watching his future develop in the MLB.