When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, it was with the intention that he would pitch big games in October to help the team reach the World Series for the first time since 1988.
So far everything has gone to plan, as Darvish was great in his first postseason start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and then followed it up with another masterful performance Tuesday night in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs.
Darvish allowed a first-inning home run to Kyle Schwarber, but nothing after that as he gave up six hits and just the one run in 6.1 innings, pitching the Dodgers to a 6-1 win and a 3-0 series lead.
“I realize I’m on the visitor side,” Darvish said through his translator. “And the first home run I gave up to Schwarber after he hit, the stadium got really excited and all that stuff. But I was able to focus just to pitch after that home run.”
While the home run came on Darvish’s third pitch of the game and sent Wrigley Field into a frenzy, it did not cause him to deviate from a plan. “I really didn’t change much approach-wise from first inning until the end of the game,” Darvish explained. “I just kept pitching the same way.”
Just like he did against the Diamondbacks, Darvish allowed just the one run, which put the Dodgers in strong position to come away with another win. “The story of the night, obviously, is Yu Darvish,” Roberts said.
“After that first homer that he gave up on the cutter that backed up, he was dominant. He just had that rhythm, the poise, and didn’t allow a whole lot of hard contact. He put us in a great spot, and we just fed off of him tonight.”
The Dodgers worked with Darvish to refine his mechanics and pitch mix, and the results are evident in his last five starts. In those outings, he’s yielded a 0.88 ERA with 35 strikeouts and just two walks in 30.2 innings.
“We saw him a little bit from the other side, and he’s one of those top-of the-end rotation guys,” Roberts said.
“So when you’re talking about trying to win 11 games in October, you need that front-end pitching, and that start against Arizona, and [Tuesday], this is why you trade for guys like that.”
