Yu Darvish took the mound today to a mostly empty stadium and an overflowing pressbox. The scribes gathered from miles around to take in Darvish’s first Spring action and the Japanese superstud did not disappoint.
Darvish pitched two shutout innings, surrendering a hustle double to Orlando Hudson (Pasta Diving Young!) and a rocket off the bat of Will Venable. The Venable pitch was legitamately rocked, careening high off the centerfield hitter’s eye some 410 feet from home plate.
You mock but I counted seven different pitches “@gbib21: @keithlaw How do his shuuto and gyroball look?”
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) March 7, 2012
Of the 36 pitches Darvish threw, he unofficially coaxed eleven swinging strikes (Update: nine whiffs.) He totalled three strikeouts, throwing just nine balls. Darvish featured a fastball that reportedly touched 95 in addition to a hard two-seamer. He showed a big slow curve that will bring a damn tear to your eye, throwing it first pitch against Will Venable to lead off the second inning. Which is completely unfair, if we’re being honest. Darvish also featured the nasty slider you see below (courtesy of Baseball Time in Arlington) and a filthy change up to K John Baker to end the second inning.
Courtesy of Baseball Time in Arlington
Drawing any conclusions from this 36 pitch cameo is folly. Darvish pitched from the set position even without men on base and might be battling his mechanics a little bit? Either way, he is really fun to watch. Like, really. He throws so many pitches you really don’t know what you will get.
He even flashed some leather, skying off the mound to snare a high bouncer before tossing to the plate to force the breaking Venable. It was great fun to watch, just like the 30-odd starts he stands to make this season figure to be. Yu Darvish – it’s all happening!
That slider is just…wow…
Such a dirty pitch. I love it.
Does anyone remember what were the first impressions of Dice-K during his first ST game?
zomg! (but srsly gyroball is a just an X)
I assume that was a rhetorical question? The difference is that Darvish actually has a plus fastball to go with all DAT fancy off speed stuff.
He threw a 66 mph curveball at one point and It ranged from 66-79 I think. Imagine getting one of those slow curves and having to face a 96mph fastball right after. He throws so many damn pitches that if one isn’t working he can go to like 10 more. Damn.
The One That Got Away: Part II
Saw the highlights and had to resist the impulse to kick a wall.
Even if the magic only lasts for a couple of years, it’s going to be a FUN couple of years.
I wanted him on the Jays so bad… was really fun watching him pitch
I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a great first year. Even Daisuke did (at least with his peripherals). It will be the years after that, when MLB hitters start getting a better feel for him, that will decide how successful his career is.
So hot.
Why does my text need to be a certain length? Not hot.
Not going to lie, that slider gave me a semi. Man, I wish the Jays got him. That still makes me so sad.
Makes me sad too, AA should be fired #RogersIsCheap #IWannaWinNow #TheyOweItToMe
Darvish’s delivery is very dreamy. Very fluid and very deceptive. And he can throw very hard, very soft and very crooked. I am so very very disappointed that Rogers couldn’t pull this off.
Dreamy, indeed.
don’t worry, you’ll have at least a half decade of barely-over .500 seasons from the risk adverse BJ management team to console you. And you’ll get 5 years of Parkes telling you it’s ok because….who knew?
Is the Japanese male spa Dandy House ad going to follow every freaking Japanese player in the MLB?