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Archive for the 'Yu Darvish' Tag

Japan’s Darvish a pitcher well worth waiting for

November 18th, 2009, 2:30 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

The excitement over the free agency of Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman is understandable. He’s 21, left-handed, and has a 100 mph fastball.

Yu Darvish (Getty Images)

Yu Darvish (Getty Images)

The international pitcher we might not see pitching in the major leagues for 10 years (if then), but the one that truly gets me excited is Yu Darvish, 23, who was just named Pacific League MVP in Japan.

Darvish, a right-hander, was last seen in the United States getting the final out (right) in relief against South Korea in the World Baseball Classic championship game at Dodger Stadium on March 23.

That’s right, a pitcher who worked in the WBC somehow managed to have a great season. Darvish was 15-5 with a 1.73 ERA and 167 strikeouts for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

He pitched (and won) Game 2 of the Japan Series against eventual champion Yomiuri Giants despite a broken finger — an injury I seriously doubt can be linked to WBC participation.

Darvish did have some shoulder discomfort and a sore back that bothered him late in the season, costing him a playoff round.

Darvish was also Pacific League MVP in 2007, at the tender age of 21.

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Japan makes it two WBC titles in row, edges South Korea in 10

March 23rd, 2009, 10:43 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

 

You couldn’t have asked for a better game on international baseball’s biggest stage, nor a bigger star to decide it.

Ichiro Suzuki’s fourth hit of the night, a two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, led Japan to a repeat World Baseball Classic title with a 5-3 victory over South Korea on Monday in front of 54,846 at Dodger Stadium.

Korea had forced an extra inning on Bum Ho Lee’s two-out RBI single off Japan reliever Yu Darvish in the bottom of the ninth inning.

But Korea manager In-Sik Kim (left) opted to pitch to Seattle Mariners star Suzuki (right) with first base open in the 10th, and Ichiro lined a single to center field.

Japan, behind a sterling start by Hisashi Iwamura, led throughout most of the night despite another solo homer by the Cleveland Indians’ Shin-Soo Choo (above) in the third inning.

Darvish struck out Keun Woo-Jeong in the 10th to end it, his fifth strikeout in two inning of relief and a tournament-record 20 in 13 innings pitched.

Iwamura, Japan baseball’s MVP last season, allowed two earned runs through 7 2/3 innings and left with a 3-2 advantage.

Japan’s Daisuke Matsuzaka, who beat Team USA on Sunday night, repeated as WBC Most Valuable player. He is 6-0 in two Classics.

Other baseball posts:

  • Angels beat Dodgers, 10-4
  • Fuentes gets work in on minor-league side
  • Angels lead Dodgers, 8-4
  • Temps in 70s — Escobar in 90s
  • Japan vs. South Korea in Game 5 for all the WBC marbles
  • Escobar, Fuentes, Santana updates
  • Take the fifth: Baseball in Taiwan features a smoke break
  • Opening Day lineup vs. Dodgers?
  • ESPN’s Gammons impressed by Camp Scioscia

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    Japan vs. South Korea in Game 5 for all the WBC marbles

    March 23rd, 2009, 12:30 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

    The 2009 World Baseball Classic has evolved into the decider of a best-of-5 series featuring South Korea and Shin-Soo Choo (above) against defending champion Japan and Ichiro Suzuki (right).

    The two Asian baseball powers meet Monday night at 6 p.m. in Dodger Stadium for the fifth time in this tournament, having split the first four meetings.

    Japan manager Tatsunori Hara said he thinks it might be the game of the century.

    Hara gets to manage in this game, in large part, because unlike Team USA’s Davey  Johnson, he is allowed to play his players where they fit the team concept.

    That’s why the speedy Munenori Kawasaki (below), a lefty-hitting Fukuouka SoftBank Hawks shortstop, played third base for Japan and caused all kinds of problems for Roy Oswalt, David Wright  and Team USA on Sunday night.

    And why Yusuyuki Kataoka, a righty-hitting Suitama Seibu Lions second baseman, will likely play third Monday against Korean ace Jung Keun Bong.

    Imagine the reaction from Major League Baseball or its teams if Johnson tried playing Derek Jeter or Brian Roberts out of postion in an attempt to field a better lineup.

    It’s one of the reasons Japan and Korea are playing Monday at Dodger Stadium, and Team USA is not.

    Japan’s starting pitcher will be Hisashi Iwakuma, regarded as the Greg Maddux of Japan, who is also Japan baseball’s reigning MVP. Yu Darvish will be available in relief.

    Korea’s strength is its surprising power, well-represented by Tae Kyun Kim (left), who should be the tourament’s Most Valuable Player. He already has a tournament-record 11 RBIs, and he and Bum Ho Lee each have three home runs.

    Other baseball posts:

  • Schilling: More time to talk
  • Blame game hits convenient target; How about fielding a real team?
  • Angels vs. Dodgers: Vlad vs. Manny
  • Japan takes advantage of Oswalt, errors to gain WBC title game
  • Angels win HR Derby, 8-7
  • WBC warmup Sunday: Oswalt vs. Matsuzaka
  • Surprise: The new Windy City
  • Surprise — Angels vs. Royals
  • Vlad ready to burst again in 2009
  • South Korea routs bumbling Venezuela at Dodger Stadium

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    Japan takes advantage of Oswalt, errors to gain WBC title game

    March 22nd, 2009, 8:27 pm by Earl Bloom, staff writer

    Team USA ran out of defense, and left-handed relievers, Sunday in the World Baseball Classic semifinal at Dodger Stadium.

    Atsunori Inaba (above) and defending champion Japan chased USA starter Roy Oswalt with a five-run fourth inning, and the Americans made three errors that led to four unearned runs — almost the difference in a 9-4 setback that sets up a South Korea vs. Japan showdown tonight.

    Brian Roberts opened the game with a leadoff homer off Daisuke Matsuzaka. But Roberts, Derek Jeter and David Wright, three-fourths of the USA infield made errors. The only one who didn’t commit an error in the infield was the one playing out of position, first baseman Mark DeRosa.

    Seattle Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima, above right, drove in a pair of runs with sacrifice flies, and Hiroyuki Nakajima also had two RBIs to power Japan’s attack.

    After Oswalt was driven for cover, Manager Davey Johnson’s three left-handed relievers, John Grabow, J.P. Howell and Matt Thornton, stymied the Japanese lineup for 3 1/3 innings. But USA’s right-handers had no such luck.

    A clear difference between the approach of the two squads came in the top of the ninth. Yu Darvish, the expected Japan starter for Monday, came on to get the final three outs. He struck out Adam Dunn to end it.

    Other baseball posts:

  • Japan takes advantage of Oswalt, errors to gain WBC title game
  • Angels win HR Derby, 8-7
  • WBC warmup Sunday: Oswalt vs. Matsuzaka
  • Surprise: The new Windy City
  • Surprise — Angels vs. Royals
  • Vlad ready to burst again in 2009
  • South Korea routs bumbling Venezuela at Dodger Stadium
  • Angels’ notes from Saturday
  • Two thumbs up for Oswalt starting choice by Team USA
  • Pizza party at Peter Piper’s?

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