Former Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish penned a heartfelt farewell message to the team and their fans, but one part of it has some scratching their heads.
Darvish, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, took out a full-page ad in The Dallas Morning News on Thursday.
“Thank you very much for the past 5.5 years,” Darvish wrote. “Coming from Japan, I could not have adjusted to the new environment if it weren’t for all the courteous fans, teammates, team staff and all affiliates who supported me. It is my biggest regret that I gave up 10 runs on my last outing as a Rangers.
“There were a small number of voices that said, ‘Darvish only cares about strikeouts,’” he continued. “Although I may have had strikeouts in my mind, fans, team, teammates and team staff were always my top priority. Thank you very much for everything! Please take care! Yu Darvish.”
That strikeout-chasing criticism is a curious thing to bring up in a goodbye note, but it was a prevailing one that Darvish faced during his time in Texas. He led the American League in strikeouts in 2014 and averaged a whopping 11.0 per nine innings in a Rangers uniform. But Darvish’s win-loss totals were never astounding, and he always seemed to leave the fans wanting more.
In any case, we know that Darvish seems to be closing the book on his Rangers career, and this farewell message is further evidence of that much.
