The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Yu Darvish with the hope he’d help preserve Clayton Kershaw and play a role in the team winning their first World Series since 1988. The trade with the Texas Rangers was completed with little time to spare before the non-waiver deadline, and it sent shockwaves throughout the league.
Darvish impressed in his debut with the Dodgers, but then struggled with consistency and spent time on the 10-day disabled list due to lower back tightness. During the DL stint, the right-hander worked with Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to refine his mechanics.
The initial return left plenty to be desired, but Darvish eventually settled in. He impressed in his starts during the National League Division Series and Championship Series, only to go 1.2 innings in both of his World Series starts.
The second of which came in Game 7 and led to the Houston Astros winning their first championship in franchise history. Darvish exited with the Dodgers trailing 5-0, and the final score changed by only one run from Los Angeles.
During an appearance on the FS1 postgame show, Astros veteran Carlos Beltran began to explain Darvish tipped pitches, but was cut off before going into greater detail, via Jeff Pearlman of The Athletic:
Exhibit A why some non-jocks are needed in booth: Beltran was ready to explain Yu Darvish tipping pitches. @arod @davidortiz talked him out pic.twitter.com/mtbxdRRpj3
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) November 2, 2017
ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez explained in an interview on the Mike & Mike show the subtle movement he picked up on that notified the batter what pitch may be coming:
Was Yu Darvish tipping his pitches during the #WorldSeries ? Excellent analysis from Eduardo Perez (@PerezEd) pic.twitter.com/2u7ieejpFK
— Mike & Mike (@MikeAndMike) November 2, 2017
At the time the Dodgers acquired Darvish, he was coming off what was then the worst start of his career — 10 earned runs allowed on nine hits, including two home runs, in just 3.2 innings. A report detailed the Miami Marlins’ picked up on Darvish tipping pitches, which led to their success.
Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi was among those in the organization to dismiss any concern over the struggles the 31-year-old had during the first half of the season.
Darvish went into his Game 7 start encouraged by a bullpen session in which he worked to throw an improved slider. Just like his start at Minute Maid Park, it ultimately lacked the necessary movement to quiet a potent Astros lineup.
