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Darvish dazzles, tops 98 mph in long-awaited return

Rick Yeatts / Getty Images Sport / Getty

ARLINGTON, Texas - Yu Darvish hit 98 mph in the first inning of his first start in the majors in almost 22 months.

Texas catcher Bobby Wilson is just glad he wasn't running to the backstop after that pitch, and a few others early in the Rangers' 5-2 interleague victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the Japanese right-hander's return from last year's Tommy John surgery Saturday night.

''In warmups, he didn't really let it go. And then warmups in the first inning, he didn't really let it go,'' Wilson said. ''Then the first couple of hitters, he started letting it go and that ball jumped on me quick. The sinkers that he threw, there was a couple I'm just happy I got a glove on because they were that firm and that nasty.''

Watch: Darvish fools McCutchen with absurd slider

The ''Yuuu'' calls from a sellout crowd started early for Darvish, who allowed three hits and a run with seven strikeouts in five strong innings. He came out after 81 pitches, just shy of the target Texas had for him after five rehab outings this month.

''Physically I felt I could go more innings, but mentally I was like `I'm done here,''' Darvish said through an interpreter. ''Today I was heating it up pretty good so I felt pretty good.''

Darvish last pitched in the big leagues on Aug. 9, 2014. He missed the rest of that season with right elbow inflammation, and ended up needing ligament reconstruction surgery after his only spring training appearance last year.

Darvish finished Saturday's outing with his second swinging strikeout of John Jaso. The first was on an 82 mph slider and the second on an 89 mph cutter. As usual, Darvish sprinkled in other breaking pitches as well, some as slow as 70 mph.

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