With his unique talent, Darvish poised to deliver results
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Yu Darvish walks to his locker and shuffles through the uniform pieces hanging there.
It’s a quiet corner of the clubhouse, but his bullpen session on a back field at the Texas Rangers spring training complex in a few minutes will attract several dozen Japanese news media members.
For now, though, those reporters, photographers, cameramen and sound technicians keep a respectful distance. Darvish is just another Ranger pulling on his blue practice jersey — except that he’s a strapping 6-5 with an orange tinge to his hair, someone who would grab your attention even if you didn’t know he was the two-time American League champions’ new $107.7 million investment.
He offered more to get people’s attention.
“He had good stuff and great poise,” says San Diego Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson, part of the opposition in Darvish’s first spring training game. “He definitely knows what he’s doing.”
It’s all calculated — on and off the field — so Darvish can be the biggest Japanese sensation since at least Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka showed up five years ago, maybe since the man/icon Darvish will face Monday in his first regular-sea- son start — Ichiro Suzuki — arrived in 2001.
As Darvish pulls on his cleats and grabs his glove, there’s no entourage, nobody catering to a prized player trying to find his way in a new country, not even someone to translate the snippets of conversation Darvish shares with teammates.
This is off-limits territory for his interpreter, former CalIrvine and Japanese professional player Yuichi “Joe” Furukawa. Darvish’s orders.
Nor is Furukawa close by when the pitchers stretch. How else can he get comfortable with English, says Darvish, who speaks to the news media through his interpreter. His parents talk to the same American reporters in English.
“He just wants to be one of the guys and not be a superstar,” says his father, Farsad Darvish- sefad (the name was shortened when Yu began playing baseball). “That’s why he wants to stay away from the media a little bit. It’s not being rude, but this is about the Texas Rangers, not him.”
It’s about a 25-year-old Japanese pitcher who’s atypical — from his appearance to his background to his performance. He’s the son of an Iranian father who attended high school in Mas- sachusetts and college in Florida, where he met Yu’s Japanese mother, Ikuyo.
The Rangers are banking on him being more suited than Matsuzaka to translate his astounding numbers (18-6, 1.44 ERA last season) in Japan to the major leagues. They’ve been watching him closely for several years. If they were going to bid $51.7 million just for the right to negotiate a contract, they wanted to be sure.
“He’s different,” says Los Angeles Dodgers coach Trey Hillman, who managed Darvish in Japan and once compared his rock-star popularity to Fonzie and Elvis. “You never know how a Japanese kid is going to adjust over here, but I think he’ll flourish.”
And Hillman also predicted Darvish “can be the best in the world.”
Japanese TV has shown all of Darvish’s spring starts live and even used five cameras to tape an intrasquad game that had to be moved into Surprise Stadium to handle the cameras, 20-plus scouts and several hundred fans — at 10 a.m.
The NHK network reported that 1.7 million households in Japan tuned into that first start against the Padres — start time 4:30 a.m. in Japan.
Yet Darvish has done no interviews except news conferences — shared by U.S. and Japanese media — in a tent outside the Rangers clubhouse. But Dar- vish hardly has been reclusive with teammates. “It feels like he’s been here 10 years,” pitcher Derek Holland says.
During one of Darvish’s postgame news conferences, catcher Yorvit Torrealba barged into the tent and muscled his way onto the dais with Darvish and Furukawa, laughing and shouting, “Darvish, no good!”
Banter continued through the session until a reporter asked Darvish which of his catchers was funnier. “They’re both not funny,” he said, grinning at Torrealba.
A popular topic after each outing has been what pitches Darvish used. “Let’s see,” catcher Mike Napoli said one day, “fourseam, slow curve, harder one, slider, cutter, change . . . ”
Darvish’s final spring outing in Arizona included 11 strikeouts in six innings, including three each of the Colorado Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. “He threw me six different pitches in my first two at-bats,” Gonzalez said.
Jason Giambi, who hit a long two-run homer, said, “I would be surprised if he doesn’t throw a no-hitter this year.”
Darvish, who said he was honored to allow a homer to Giambi, insists he needs to continue what he says has been like most other springs for him.
“From the first day, I didn’t have much of a struggle feeling comfortable,” he says. “They’re very welcoming.”