Darvish threw 19 pitches against five D-backs hitters in the first inning at Sloan Park, and got only one swing and miss, then had to wait while the Cubs sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run first.
After dealing with various arm injuries and trying to adjust to a new team, Yu Darvish was pleased with his spring debut. Pumped, in fact.
Darvish may have walked four and lasted only 1 1/3 innings Tuesday for the Chicago Cubs, but it was an important start for him.
“This is like my first outing in my life,” Darvish said. “I haven’t thrown the last seven months. I was so excited.”
Darvish faced the Arizona Diamondbacks in his first game since a minor league rehab start last August for Class A South Bend. He had signed a six-year, $126 million contract with the Cubs last February, but battled injuries and was limited to eight starts before he was shut down.
