March 15, 2019
Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish is eager to return to the mound this season after missing most of last season with an injury. He admitted to some embarrassment at being paid $21 million last year, while appearing in a mere eight games.
And his performance in those eight games was poor, leaving fans most unhappy.
With no coaches, teammates or staffers around, the Cubs’ right-hander has been working through a series of tosses into a batting practice screen to continue refining his delivery.
Darvish is not only thrilled to be healthy and unrestricted this spring — in the wake of a right elbow procedure in September — but happy to be a year deeper into his Cubs’ tenure. Darvish told reporters the pressure of his huge $126 million six-year contract was weighing on him last season, even before the injury issues began to mount.
“At that time last year, I didn’t say anything about that,” Darvish said. “But definitely I was thinking about, ‘I have to do something for the Cubs. I should win 20 games or something.’ I want to be myself now.”
The 32-year-old Darvish was limited to eight starts last season (a season is 162 games) and admitted that he did not feel right physically (unrelated to his arm) early in the year. He gave up 22 earned runs in just 40 innings.
By this past December, a trimmed-down Darvish started to feel like himself again, leading to what he feels is an improved mental state as he enters this second Spring Training with a team he said now feels like “family.”
Opening day for the 2019 season will be March 28.