“It’s my job to go out there and pitch.”
Japanese pitcher Darvish Yu (37-San Diego Padres) breathed a sigh of relief after suffering an elbow injury. According to local media reports, including MLB.com, Darvish flew to Texas to meet with Dr. Keith Meister, who performed surgery on his elbow in the past. The results showed a laugh bone in his right elbow, but no structural damage.
“I’m relieved that there’s nothing wrong with the ligament,” Darvish, who was placed on the disabled list after suffering elbow pain against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 26, told reporters at Petco Park, his San Diego home. Darvish, who received a cortisone injection to treat inflammation, will be unable to throw for three to five days, but has expressed a desire to return before the end of the season.
But San Diego has just 27 games left in the season. At 62-73, the Padres are in fourth place in the NL West and the seventh wild-card spot, 8.5 games out of the postseason cutoff for third-place San Francisco (70-64).
With their postseason hopes all but gone, the argument goes, it’s better to take it easy and prepare for next season than to try to force a comeback the rest of the way. Darvish, who played for Japan in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) the season before, has been fatigued by preparing earlier than usual. A player’s body is an asset, so this decision is understandable if the team is not in a hurry.
But Darvish said he plans to take a few days off and start playing catch. He said, “It’s my job to go out and play. I’m getting paid to go out there and throw the ball,” he said, adding, “It would be disrespectful if I didn’t make an effort to come back.” The sense of responsibility and mission that comes with being a highly paid player is evident.카지노
After going 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA, 197 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP in 30 games (194⅔ innings) last year, Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million extension with San Diego in February. Unusually for a pitcher, the contract is guaranteed through his age 42 season. It was a deal that no one expected.
“I can’t believe it’s true or not,” Darvish said after signing the extension. I never thought I would be offered a six-year deal. The trust that San Diego has shown in me means a lot,” he said.
But in his first year of the extension, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. In 24 games (136⅓ innings) this year, he is 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA, 141 strikeouts, and a 1.30 WHIP, an up-and-down performance that doesn’t live up to his high price tag.
He feels the pressure. As for the team’s postseason hopes, Darvish said, “It would be disrespectful to take time off just because the team is not doing well. I have to think about the rest of my contract, but you never know what next year will bring. All I have is today and tomorrow,” he said of his refusal to sit out the season.