Texas Rangers' Yu Darvish to start on 9th April against the Seattle Mariners
The Texas Rangers announced their rotation for the season on Thursday, March 29, putting an end to the seemingly perpetual excitement pertaining to the names of starters. Yu Darvish will have the start against the Seattle Mariners on April 9th.
According to the list of pitchers who have been selected for the rotation, Darvish will be the fifth starter followed by Neftali Feliz. Other starters will be Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison --- all of whom have enjoyed a marvellous season the
past year.
Thursday’s announcement by the team manager Ron Washington was being waited with abated breath. With the element of surprise permeating the atmosphere, Darvish’s name as fourth starter met with joy.
"Wherever and whenever I'm told to pitch, I'll just do my best," Darvish said. "That's all I'm thinking about right now."
The announcement has another interesting feature attached to it. Yu Darvish will face the countryman Ichiro Suzuki, the Mariners outfielder. Both the young players will be key to their respective teams.
"Get him out ... that's my thought," Washington said. "Ichiro is one of the best players in the Major Leagues, and Darvish is trying to establish himself as one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues. But it's not about Darvish versus Ichiro. It's about
Darvish versus the Mariners."
The Texas Rangers acquired Yu Darvish this season. This will be first ever experience of the Japanese pitcher to play in any Major League Baseball game. The advantage that Yu Darvish will have compared to a lot of young pitchers is the fact that he has had
164 starts in Japan.
Therefore, his lack of experience in the MLB does not concern the team manager much. "We have some unknowns, but those unknowns are very talented," Washington said.
Once the season kicks off and Yu Darvish has his first spell, it will be interesting to see how hard he comes on the rivals. With the height and the strong arm, Yu Darvish makes a wonderfully effective pitcher for the Rangers’ rotation, posing a serious
challenge to virtually all the teams in the league.
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