Yu Darvish, Rangers Shut Out Yankees: Texas Pitcher Strikes Out 10

ARLINGTON, Texas — Yu Darvish had a season-high 10 strikeouts pitching into the ninth inning and worked out of a couple of jams for the Texas Rangers in a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees and countryman Hiroki Kuroda on Tuesday night.

In only the seventh MLB matchup ever of Japanese starters, Darvish (3-0) allowed seven hits and walked a season-low two in 8 1-3 innings. The 10 strikeouts were the most by a Texas pitcher this season.

Ian Kinsler put the Rangers ahead to stay when he led off the first with a deep homer to left center off Kuroda (1-3), who limited Texas to two runs and five hits over 6 2-3 innings. The 37-year-old right-hander, in his fifth season in the majors, struck out five and walked one.

But Kuroda was outpitched by Darvish, the 25-year-old righty making only his fourth major league start – and getting better each time on the mound.

Rangers manager Ron Washington was going to give him a chance to finish the game but pulled Darvish after Nick Swisher's one-out single on his 119th pitch.

Joe Nathan needed only one pitch to coax a game-ending double-play grounder by Raul Ibanez. It was his fifth save in six chances, closing out the Rangers' first shutout victory over the Yankees since Aug. 16, 2000.

The Yankees had the bases loaded with no outs in the third after Derek Jeter reached on a bunt single. Darvish initially failed to field the ball, apparently expecting someone else to get it.

But Darvish then got Curtis Granderson out on a called third strike before Alex Rodriguez grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Another sellout crowd at Rangers Ballpark broke into cheers of "Yuuuuuu!" that are already becoming quite routine.

Darvish walked off the mound clapping his hand on his glove while watching the replay on the huge video board high above the right-field seats.

After Robinson Cano hit a leadoff double in the fourth, Darvish needed only seven pitches to get out of that inning. Mark Teixeira and Swisher both struck out swinging on three pitches before Ibanez grounded out on the first pitch he saw.

Darvish struck out the side in the seventh, getting Jeter on a called strike for the third out.

The last matchup of Japanese-born starters was July 22, 2010, when Kuroda threw eight scoreless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 2-0 win over the Mets and Hisanori Takahashi.

Darvish made his major league debut two weeks ago at Rangers Ballpark, allowing five runs in the first two innings but getting the win in an 11-5 victory over Seattle. Since those first two innings, he has allowed only two earned runs over 24 innings.

Kinsler's fifth homer of the season was his first leading off a game, extending his team record in that category to 21.

Elvis Andrus drew a one-out walk in the third and had a stolen base on the same pitch that Josh Hamilton swung and lost control of his bat, which helicoptered all the way into short right field before landing in fair territory just beyond first base. On the next pitch, with a different bat, Hamilton lined a single to right-center for a 2-0 lead.

Still, the Rangers weren't overpowering against Kuroda. Along with the five strikeouts, 12 of their 20 outs against Kuroda were on grounders, and there were two popups.

Notes: Yankees RHP Phil Hughes is scheduled Wednesday night to make his first start at Rangers Ballpark since May 25, 2009, when he allowed only three hits in a career-high-tying eight scoreless innings. ... RHP Scott Feldman, who has lost four of his last five decisions at Rangers Ballpark, pitches the series finale for Texas. ... In the Rangers fifth, Kinsler was running on a pitch from first when Andrus hit a grounder. Cano snagged the ball on his way to cover second, tagged the sliding Kinsler and threw to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

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Comments

[ZenSufi]

07:17 AM on 04/26/2012

It's a Iranian-Japanese conspiracy to take over the quintessentially American past-time.

[shawman65]

11:52 AM on 04/25/2012

Yu twows baw very hard and well. Yeah Yu. Yu twill me

[Blackspeare]

10:52 AM on 04/25/2012

There's a problem here people!! Kuroda is full blooded Japanese, while Darvish is not. Darvish's father is Iranian and is thus not a full blooded Japanese! Was it really fair to claim this was a Japanese vs Japanese contest? In the USA we proudly claim our heritage i.e. African-American, Native Americans, Italian Americans, Hispanic Americans, etc. So from now on Darvish should be named as a Iranian Japanese!

[josh ee]

05:13 PM on 04/25/2012

He was born raised and played professionally in Japan he is Japanese.

[Blackspeare]

07:09 PM on 04/25/2012

Interesting----there are Blacks born in the USA for generations and yet they are African-Americans. Yet in Japan we have the son of a Iranian father and Japanese mother and nary a word of his heritage---why is that?----yes this is a trick question!

[nishioka]

12:42 AM on 04/26/2012

> In the USA we proudly claim our heritage i.e. African-American, Native Americans, Italian Americans, Hispanic Americans

We think it's cool to differentiate ourselves by our heritage, and in some respects it serves a purpose in American society, but the fact is nobody outside the US cares. I've spent six years abroad and never once has anyone ever asked me to be more specific about my American heritage. In fact, I went to a couple of NPB games while I was in Japan, and the foreign players from the United States were all listed as "American". Not Hispanic Americans, not African Americans, not any of that, just Americans.

Kuroda and Darvish are both Japanese citizens, therefore it's a Japanese vs. Japanese matchup. If you want to split hairs and call it a Japanese vs. Japanese/Iranian matchup, go right ahead. You'll be one of the only people to do it, though.

[Blackspeare]

08:08 AM on 04/26/2012

I was just trying to make a point in a round-a-bout way. The Japanese, as the Americans used to, pride themselves on being a homogenous society, while America seem to favor diversity and has become a nation of adjectives. From the way things are going in the USA, diversity is not leading to any place good! Sometimes you can take the concept of heritage a little too far especially when it comes in the way of doing things right or doing the right thing!

[paddles]

10:39 AM on 04/25/2012

Thank you Yu!

[dvglass3]

09:58 AM on 04/25/2012

Yu did pitch well but the Yankees also mailed this one in....I like how the Yankees punched Texas in the face yeaterday but nothing is posted on HP. Let's see if Yu can do this to the Yankees the second time he faces them. First time against the Yankees can make you better than normal or you can fold...Yu pitched his best game of the year so far....don't think the next time, if he gives up 7 hits and the Yanks load the bases that he gets out of the jam again. Good game for him but nothing big in the long run.

[paddles]

10:40 AM on 04/25/2012

Please-want some cheese with that wine. We all know that New York teams are never covered favorably on HP-LOL!!!!!

[dvglass3]

10:49 AM on 04/25/2012

I would love some wine and cheese...although I'm sure you wanted to say whine as that would fit your joke better.

[ydrittmann]

12:56 AM on 04/27/2012

Mailed in the next night, too?

[dvglass3]

09:09 AM on 04/27/2012

Clearly not.....had you ever played baseball that little snark never would have come to your mind. 162 games bubba; current rankings for the Yankees.

Runs 4th
Batting average 3rd
OBP 1st
Slugging 3rd

[RevRayGreen]

06:22 AM on 04/25/2012

props to YU

[crparke]

01:32 AM on 04/25/2012

Yu da man now dawg

[bmwracer]

11:53 PM on 04/24/2012

Good job, Yu!