Yu darvish5/21/2023 They will pitch opposite each other again Friday. The Dodgers won 2-0.ĭarvish received another endorsement from Kershaw after the game, with the Dodgers left-hander texting him something along the lines of, “You’re nasty.” Darvish said he returned the compliment. I really couldn’t believe I had come that far and I felt nothing but gratitude toward Kershaw.”ĭarvish limited the Dodgers to one run over seven innings. “But in the four years since, I was able to pitch against Kershaw as someone in a similar position, a position of being called an ace for a rival team, in a game to which everyone was looking forward. Our status was completely different, our substance as pitchers was completely different, right? “When I played catch with him after the 2017 season, I wasn’t the kind of pitcher who could consider himself to be at his level. “I think I was able to be on that stage last week because Kershaw and other people on the Dodgers extended a helping hand to me when I was at rock bottom,” Darvish said. The strength that had to do that has, in a way, become my strength, my support. I’ve become emotionally stronger since then, but not because I was strong. He finished second to Trevor Bauer in voting for the National League Cy Young Award last season, after which he was traded to the Padres. While Darvish was injured for the majority of the first season with the Cubs in 2018, he pitched spectacularly in the second half of the following year. In particular, he recalled how Kershaw vouched for the quality of his pitches and implored him to be more confident at a time when he was overwhelmed with self-doubt. “The strength that had to do that has, in a way, become my strength, my support.”ĭarvish thought back to that offseason when he pitched against Kershaw at Petco Park last week. “I do think I’ve become emotionally stronger since then, but not because I was strong,” Darvish said. Think of how much Kershaw wanted to win a World Series ring, Darvish said, and consider the generosity of spirit he demonstrated by setting aside his disappointment and reaching out to a player who might have cost him a championship. They both make their offseason homes in the Dallas area. “I thought I was really fortunate to play on a team with such a kind person.”ĭarvish was particularly touched by how Kershaw asked him to be his throwing partner the following winter. “I thought, ‘This person’s really a leader,’ ” Darvish said. He recalled how in the team meeting immediately after the Game 7 loss, Turner walked over and put his arm around him, remaining by his side as manager Dave Roberts addressed the team. He spoke with admiration about how such players as Clayton Kershaw and Justin Turner helped him recover from the devastation of failing on the sport’s greatest stage. Instead of dwelling on how the Astros might have wronged him, Darvish wanted to talk about the empathy shown to him by his then-Dodgers teammates. He said the outcome could have been avoided if he was a better pitcher or had taken more precautions to ensure his signs weren’t stolen. “Because I had that experience,” he said at the time, “I was able to work hard these last two years and become the person I am now.”Īsked if he wonders about the extent of the Astros’ cheating - it remains unknown whether the team stole signs on the road, including Game 7, which was played at Dodger Stadium - he responded by pointing out how not every Dodgers pitcher was hit hard in that World Series. When news of the Astros’ cheating scheme surfaced, he said he wouldn’t use it to excuse the results. So please write that if they want to do it, I would like for them to not be overly considerate of my feelings and enjoy booing as loud as they can.
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