Darvish sizzles in 1st rehab start
Before taking the mound Sunday in Frisco for his first game action since having his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructed about 13 months ago, deposed Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish had one thing on his mind.
"Seriously, I hope I'm not going to blow my elbow," said Darvish, who underwent Tommy John surgery on March 17, 2015. "That's what I was thinking."
He was fine. Frankly, for a guy 631 days removed from his last official outing, the 29-year-old right-hander was downright impressive, allowing no hits while issuing one walk and notching a couple strikeouts over two scoreless innings for the RoughRiders, his club's affiliate in the Double-A Texas League.
(Courtesy: MiLB.com)
In front of 11,842 fans - the fourth-biggest crowd ever at Dr. Pepper Ballpark - Darvish unloaded 32 pitches, working in both his breaking balls without hesitation while topping out at 97 miles per hour with his four-seamer.
"Physically I had no problems," he said. "Maybe, mentally, it was my first outing, so maybe I was a little overexcited. That's probably it."
Darvish, a three-time All-Star who received American League Cy Young votes in each of his two full seasons with the Rangers, left to a standing ovation after his outing, brief as it was. He appreciated the gesture.
"I am glad the fans didn't forget me for not pitching in more than a year,'' Darvish said. "I appreciate that."