Yu Darvish is working on his English, in part so he can convey his feelings as accurately as possible. He already has the curse words down.
Darvish on Sunday gave his first press conference in English since joining the Rangers in 2012, and his top priority was to emphasize that he did not quit on the team last year.
“That’s bulls—,” Darvish said of talk that he quit on the team. “I never quit the team. I love my teammates and this ballclub, and I’ve never done that in my life. That’s not true.”
Darvish did not pitch after Aug. 9 because of inflammation in his elbow. There was some chatter from the Rangers that Darvish could have pitched had the team been higher up in the standings, but Darvish says that was not the case. The initial comments came out prior to an MRI revealing further inflammation, which led doctors to advise him to shut it down for the rest of the season.
Darvish made it a goal to improve his English over the offseason. Another reason for that is because manager Jeff Bannister wants him to take more of a leadership role on the team, so being able to communicate well with his teammates is critical.
“I know there is sometimes a language problem,” Darvish said via the Dallas Morning News. “But what I can do is what I’m doing. I can show my teammates by being more active. This is the most comfortable I’ve felt since I’ve been here. I’m just comfortable.”
Darvish’s desire to learn the English language better is admirable and should make him that much better of a player and teammate. It should also help him avoid silly controversies. He has gone 39-25 in three seasons with a 3.27 ERA, and he has averaged an impressive 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Darvish was already up to 94 mph Sunday and should be back in his ace form when the season begins.
