As if the odds weren't already stacked against them in their respective divisions, the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies are two teams that could ill-afford the absence of a key cog in their pitching rotation. Unfortunately, Spring Training has been none too kind to either ball club as they prepare for the regular season without the services of two of the game's most premier pitchers.
After being shutdown for the last seven weeks of the 2014 season with mild inflammation in his right elbow, Rangers hurler Yu Darvish was expected to be good to go at the start of spring training this year. But after pitching only one inning in his spring debut on March 5, the 28-year old Japanese sensation was pulled from his outing when he experienced tightness in his triceps muscle. An MRI would spell even worse news, however, as damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in Darvish's right elbow was revealed, resulting in Tommy John surgery which would put an end to any chance of the 3-time All-Star pitching again in 2015. Already expected to be long shots fighting to stay afloat in the AL Western division with two American League powers in the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics as well as the much improved Seattle Mariners, the news of Darvish being on the shelf for the season is devastating for fans in Arlington. Texas finished with the worst record in the American League last year at 67-95 thanks in large part to the struggles and absence of first baseman Prince Fielder and though they should finish with a higher win total than they did a season ago, anywhere ahead of a fourth place finish in the division would be a surprise for a Rangers ball club that's only four seasons removed from back-to-back World Series appearances.
As for the Phillies, another ball club not expected to be contending for a title this year, the injury to left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee is as unfortunate as any. Not only because the 36-year old Lee is still among the best lefty's in the league when healthy, but because it ends any chances the Phils had of dealing the southpaw in return for a prospect or two to help speed up Philadelphia's rebuilding process. Since signing a 5-year, $120 Million deal with the Phillies in December of 2010 and taking less than he could have made elsewhere to return to play in Philadelphia where he helped lead the Phillies to their second consecutive World Series during in his first stint with the ball club after being acquired at the trade deadline in 2009, the franchise has been unable capture the success they achieved in Lee's first two seasons. For Lee, who last pitched on July 31 before being placed on the 60-day disabled-list after sustaining the same injury a season ago, it'll be the third attempt to rehab from a torn common flexor tendon in his left elbow while shaking off the idea of having surgery which would cause him to sit out the season.
With $37.5 Million remaining on his contract which includes a $12.5 Million club option to buyout in 2016, the former Cy Young winner hopes the third time will be a charm as his road to recovery figures to be a long one before we'll get to see if the 4-time All-Star can make a return to the mound in the city of Brotherly Love. Without Lee, the Phillies who finished last a season ago (73-89), will have their hands full in an NL Eastern division which homes a number of clubs that are expected to improve from last season as well as arguably the favorite to win it all this season in the Washington Nationals.
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If someone had asked me before the season started who I thought would be the first pitcher to toss a no-hitter this season, without hesitating, I would've said Texas' Yu Darvish. After retiring the first 26 batters he faced last season when pitching against the Houston Astros back on April 2, Texas' ace Yu Darvish watched out no. 27 go right between his legs into center field for a hit, erasing what would've been the 23rd perfect game in MLB history. Despite the disappointment that he had to have felt coming oh so close to making history, there he stood with a smile on his face after flirting with a perfect game. Though he would fail to etch his name into the record books and reach baseball immortality on this night, Darvish, who has more than lived up to the hype since transitioning his game from Japan to the Major League's just two seasons ago, has established himself among the top pitchers in the game today.
And on Friday night, the Japanese All-Star was once again on top of his game and appeared to be on his way to pitching a game for the ages in Arlington. From the first inning on, Darvish was hitting his target and had several pitches working for him which would spell doom for the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox who would have their work cut out for them. At one point in the game, Darvish hit a streak of six consecutive strikeouts before eventually finishing the game with 12 K's, while retiring the first 20 batters he faced. And then what appeared to be a harmless fly ball to shallow right field off the bat of Big Papi David Ortiz, fell in between second baseman Rougned Odor and outfielder Alex Rios as both players looked at one another thinking the other one was going to make the catch. Darvish would catch a break, however, as the call would be ruled an error by the official scorer. A rare call given the ball failed to touch either player. Rios would be the one changed with the error, one any teammate would be willing to sacrifice if it meant their pitcher still had a chance at making history.
Though the error wouldn't break Darvish completely, it would have an effect on how he pitched the rest of the game as he went on to walk two of the next three batters he faced. But even then, the 27-year old hurler still had a no-hit bid in tact. That was until he reached the dreaded ninth inning. With 26 outs recorded and a goose egg in the hit column for the Red Sox, Ortiz came up one last time as the only batter standing in the way of Darvish and his no-hitter. But even with the shift on, playing Ortiz to pull, Big Papi who just innings earlier was the cause of an error that wiped out any chance of a perfect game, snuck a ground ball single in between the second baseman and shortstop on the 126th pitch on the night by Darvish who came just one out shy of a no-hitter for the second time in as many seasons. It would be the final batter of the night for Yu who was pulled by skipper Ron Washington and received a thunderous ovation by the 45,000+ in attendance who stood and applauded Darvish's masterful performance. For the second time after nearly making history, Darvish would be forced to watch another man record that 27th out that he came so close to recording as Rangers reliever Alexi Ogando retired the next batter, sealing Texas' 8-0 win and leaving Darvish still seeking his first complete-game.
Darvish joins hurler Dave Stieb as the only pitchers to have multiple no-hit bids broken up with 2-outs in the ninth inning. Stieb had it happen three times while a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, including twice in back to back starts in 1988. With the season still young and plenty of starts left in the promising career of Yu Darvish, I've got a feeling the third time will be a charm.
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Yu da man. At least that's what the Texas Rangers are hoping. After watching the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim make history by signing 3-time NL MVP Albert Pujols to a blockbuster contract worth $254 Million over 10 years, as well as pry Texas' former ace C.J. Wilson from them, the Rangers were in need of a splash of their own to counter their division-rivals. That move seems to be made clear with the Rangers being the winners of the Yu Darvish sweepstakes. Hoping to land the Japanese sensation to help fill the void of Wilson as well as maintain supremacy in the American League West, Texas won the rights to negotiate with the 25 year old pitcher by posting a record-setting bid of $51.7 Million, surpassing the previous mark of $51 Million held by Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2007 season.
If and when a contract is agreed upon between both parties who have 30 days to strike a deal, the Rangers could very well be investing nearly $100 Million in Darvish who's won the Pacific League MVP Award twice in 2007 and 2009. And as we've learned in the past, Japanese stars overseas are hit or miss and have rarely panned out and have often been unable to duplicate their success at the Major League level. In fact, history has shown that the majority of Japanese players that have garnered the attention of the Major Leagues with mile high expectations, most of which are pitchers, often fail to meet those standards of an All-Star caliber player with only a few exceptions. According to sources however, many believe Darvish who's finished the last five seasons with an ERA under 2.00, will be the player who puts an end to the bust label many have begun to give players from overseas who come with such hype. And considering it was Nolan Ryan who knows a thing or two about pitching who decided to pull the trigger on placing a bid on the 6-foot-5 hurler, I'd say the Rangers know what they're doing.
Though the move of potentially acquiring a player who's unproven at the Major League level is risky, it sends a positive message to the Rangers fan base, letting them know that the organization is not ready to hand over the reigns to the division or the American League for that matter just yet as they look to make their third consecutive trip to the World Series with only one difference -- winning it. But that's not to say the Rangers front-office of Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels have necessarily been sitting on the couch doing nothing this off-season. The Rangers' brain trust have been plenty active since the end of the 2011 season by bolstering an already dominant bullpen with the signing of former Twins closer Joe Nathan to take over for Neftali Feliz who will be moved to the starting rotation after serving two seasons as a reliever.The signing of Darvish is also a great move from both an international standpoint as well as a marketing standpoint as it attracts fans overseas from Japan among other countries that could help generate revenue by selling merchandise and increase television ratings. It also opens the door to sell advertisements at Texas' Ballpark in Arlington to Japanese based companies. Other Major League ball clubs that have utilized this strategy include the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's. Darvish's repertoire includes a two-seam fastball, cutter, curveball, splitter and a change-up to compliment his primary pitches of a four-seam fastball which has been clocked as high as 97 mph and a slurve with a devastating break.
With Texas on the cusp of issuing a lucrative contract to Darvish, many keeping up with the MLB hot-stove are begging the question if the the move means the Rangers are no longer in the running for Prince Fielder. Prior to the announcement of Texas winning the posting rights to talk to the ace of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, the Rangers were said to be one of the possible suitors for the free-agent slugger. Those rumors may be days away from being put to rest however, if the Rangers indeed ink Darvish to a contract.
