Yu Darvish received 7.3 million votes to win the fan vote and final spot on the American League All-Star team, but the Japanese pitcher says he actually voted for another player.
“I know that I mentioned not being worthy a few days ago,” he said through interpreter Joe Furukawa, according to The Dallas Morning News. “But now that I’m selected, what it means to me now, is that if I get a chance to compete I want to put the best effort forward that I can. But, personally, I voted for Jake Peavy.
“To be selected by the fans like this, it is very much an honor and I’m very appreciative of it.”
As the above quote mentions, Darvish said earlier in the week that he didn’t feel like he deserved a spot on the All-Star team. The fans felt otherwise.
The Japanese rookie is tied for second in the AL in wins with 10, third with 117 strikeouts, and 14th with a 3.59 ERA. Peavy, a former Cy Young winner, is sixth with a 2.96 ERA, 8th with 101 strikeouts, and 4th with a 0.99 WHIP. Darvish’s 10-5 record is better than Peavy’s 6-5 mark.
It’s debatable who deserved the All-Star selection more between the two pitchers (I’d lean Peavy), but Darvish certainly was worthy of the honor. Regardless, we appreciate the humble nature of his comments. Between Yu and Bryce Harper, we’re seeing some classy comments from rookies lately.
