Reunion with Clayton Kershaw must wait, but Yu Darvish meets the rest of the Dodgers
A few weeks ago in Miami, as baseball’s All-Stars gathered at Marlins Park, Clayton Kershaw fell into conversation with Yu Darvish. Kershaw knew the Dodgers were pursuing a trade with Texas for Darvish. He left Darvish with a hopeful message.
“I’ll be waiting for you in three weeks,” Kershaw said, as Darvish recalled at his introductory press conference with the Dodgers at SunTrust Park.
Stuck in Los Angeles, rehabbing a back strain, Kershaw will have to wait an extra week. But Darvish met the rest of his new club on Wednesday. He drew a crowd of teammates as he threw a bullpen session for pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. His presence only amplified the anticipation for his debut, which will come on Friday against the Mets in New York.
Darvish (6-9, 4.01 earned-run average) cut an imposing figure inside the clubhouse. Rich Hill, who watched the bullpen, remarked on how big the 6-5, 220-pounder looked in uniform. Austin Barnes, who caught the bullpen, raved about the movement of Darvish’s slider. Manager Dave Roberts was impressed with Darvish’s command of the English language.
Roberts sat on a ledge above the bullpen as Darvish threw. He was joined by Hill and Yasmani Grandal. Midway through the session, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer walked over to watch. In between laps in the outfield, Kenley Jansen stole glances into the ’pen.
A session like this normally does not qualify as appointment viewing. But Darvish is not a normal pitcher, and not one acquired under normal circumstances. The Dodgers sent three prospects, including well-regarded triple-A infielder Willie Calhoun, to the Rangers in exchange for Darvish on Monday. Darvish represents perhaps the final piece to the team’s puzzle as they try to snap a 29-year championship drought.
Darvish insisted he would not allow that knowledge to alter his approach. He mentioned his desire to fit in with the group. He did not intend to make waves on a roster that owns baseball’s best record.
“I don’t want to be that guy,” Darvish said through his interpreter. “I’ll do everything I can to be a good teammate.”
Darvish said he was excited about teaming with Kenta Maeda, whom he has trained with in the past.
“I’ve never played with him before,” Darvish said. “Of course, I’m really looking forward to it. But I can’t wait to just mess with him all the time.”
Despite the excitement created by Darvish’s arrival, Roberts sought to not place undue pressure on him. He said the team was not concerned about Darvish possibly tipping his pitches, which led to a 10-run thrashing by Miami in his last start.
“Nothing jumped out” during the bullpen session, Roberts said. “And honestly, we didn’t really talk about it.”
Added Roberts, “He just needs to be Yu Darvish. He’ll be fine.”
Twitter: @McCulloughTimes
ALSO
Bill Shaikin: Spending on international players sets up trade deadline moves for Dodgers
‘We got Darvish’: How the Dodgers’ dramatic trade played out
Are you a true-blue fan?
Get our Dodgers Dugout newsletter for insights, news and much more.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
