Dodgers call on Darvish to close out series sweep
From the moment Yu Darvish was acquired at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, he knew he was here to pitch in October.
Specifically, he was here to pitch in October in the kind of game he will pitch Monday night in Los Angeles opposite Zack Greinke in Game 3 of the National League division series, which the Dodgers lead 2-0.
Darvish will be called on to close out the best-of-five series, but his responsibilities extend beyond the upcoming game.
As the team’s greatest X-factor, his performance could determine how this postseason plays out for the Dodgers.
If he can be their second frontline pitcher alongside Clayton Kershaw, he can move the Dodgers within arm’s reach of their first World Series in 29 years.
The Dodgers are already counting on him to make Kershaw better.
The addition of Darvish to a rotation that includes Rich Hill and Alex Wood is what made the Dodgers comfortable enough to declare they wouldn’t use Kershaw on three days’ rest again at this stage of the postseason.
It’s a considerable burden, enough so that when Darvish was asked about it at his introductory news conference two months ago, he replied, “I’m trying not to think about it.”
The efforts were in vain. Every start he made and every bullpen session he threw were part of what was essentially a twomonth training camp for the postseason.
He was sensational in his first start with the Dodgers, blanking the Mets over seven innings. He also won RESULTS, SCHEDULE his next start, which was against the Diamondbacks, in Arizona.
Over his next four starts, however, he was 0-3 with a 7.85 ERA.
“They brought me over for the playoffs, but I might not pitch in them if I continue like this,” Darvish said. “I was worried about that.”
In retrospect, the Japanese right-hander thinks he started to turn around his season in the last game of that four-start stretch, when he allowed five runs in 41⁄3 innings in a loss to the Rockies. That’s when he made a subtle but important change to his delivery in response to Kershaw and other Dodgers telling him he might have been overthinking on the mound.
“You could tell if you compare it my last start, but I shortened the time between my leg kick and my release,” Darvish said. “Compared to other pitchers, I think I usually take much longer thinking and waiting between my leg kick and my release. I think it’s one of my good points. But when I’m not pitching well, I think too much and I’m not able to repeat my delivery. The goal of speeding up my delivery was to give myself less time to think and I think that worked.”
Darvish was charged with only one earned run in 191⁄3 innings over his last three regular-season starts. He struck out 21 and walked only one.
“Yu’s incredible,” teammate Corey Seager said. “Elite stuff plays in the playoffs and he has it. That’s kind of what we’re looking for and that’s what we got out of him.”