Positive Signs from Darvish
Yu Darvish wanted to throw on Tuesday. But instead of taking a bullpen session back home at Wrigley, he made his way up north to Miller Park to throw in front of Joe Maddon, Jim Hickey, Theo Epstein, and Randy Bush. More importantly, he wanted to be alongside his teammates as they continued to fight for the NL Central crown against the Milwaukee Brewers.
This was also one of the rare occasions Yu Darvish spoke to reporters since his second DL stint. Yu was asked if he really thought Chicago Cubs fans hated him, to which he humorously replied, “I gotta ask each one of them.”
Ultimately Yu admitted that fans have been extremely supportive, even going out of their way to offer good words.
“The fans here are very supportive,” Darvish said through a translator. “Even in my situation, they’ll come up to me when they see me in town and say, ‘Hey, thanks for the performance’ and all that, so I really do feel the support.”
He also let on that he and Chris Gimenez had talked about fan support, but that was in reference to his 2017 World Series performance.
When it came to his bullpen, everyone was impressed. Joe Maddon talked about his effortless motion, velocity, and command. But perhaps the most positive remarks came from Theo.
“Today was a big day,” Epstein said. “He let it go and he felt really good. That’s usually a good sign about what’s gonna come next.”
It does appear Darvish, who hasn’t pitched since his six inning one-run affair in Cincinnati, is moving along on the right path. There are no plans for his next session, and the team will hold off on planning anything until Darvish let’s them know if there’s any discomfort in his triceps either today or tomorrow. No one can pinpoint if he will be back before or after the All Star break, but if he makes it through Thursday without pain, it’s likely he would have an even more intense session Friday in St Louis.
Yu traveling with the team, and being alongside of his teammates has certainly helped the newcomer fit in. The guys in the clubhouse know he’s there’s for them, and it’s allowed for everyone, including Maddon, to become even more familiar with each other. This is one of the most important parts of a free agent coming to a new team, especially one with the pressure of $126 million hanging over his head.
“Almost every free agent goes through [struggles],” Epstein said. “Some guys are lucky enough to have things break their way early and then it’s not as big of an issue. But most free agents struggle. Maybe it’s a month, maybe it turns into three months, maybe it’s a whole season.
“But there’s a point in time where you fight back and you develop a sense of new normal and comfortable in your surroundings and you establish yourself. … As an organization, you just try to support him, make him feel as comfortable as possible and also make sure there’s a lot of fight there. I think there is.”
It appears that there’s little worry about Darvish’s Health throughout the remainder of the season, and all involved are fine taking their time getting back into game action. When you have any injury it’s important to take it one day at a time, and when it’s an injury to someone with this much investment – it’s even more important.
“Today was a great day. He didn’t have to drive up here; he could’ve waited, met the team in St. Louis, but he pushed his schedule. He was feeling good; he wanted to come up here and throw, so it was a good day.”
Yu Darvish is going to be a huge asset for the team, and will pitch in huge games for the Cubs. We have seen the insane ability he has, current season stats notwithstanding, but his character is what we are beginning to see.
