Chicago Cubs Spring Training: Yu Darvish No Longer Feels Pressure Of Big Contract, Expectations
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Pitcher Yu Darvish, the Chicago Cubs' big free agent signing in 2018, had a season to forget.
He told CBS 2's Megan Mawicke on Wednesday that in addition to injuries, he felt the pressure of big expectations after he signed that big six year, $126 million contract.
This year, he said his arm feels great and he's not feeling stress.
Darvish was sidelined for 2018 season in August after an MRI showed a stress reaction in his arm--after he only threw one inning in a rehab start in a Class A minor league game in South Bend
Darvish had Tommy John surgery in 2014, then missed all of 2015. He made 17 starts in 2016 and 31 starts in 2017, when he was an All-Star.
Some concerns surfaced across baseball regarding Darvish's performance at the end of the 2017 season, as the Houston Astros crushed him twice in the World Series, including the deciding Game 7.
When the Cubs signed Darvish last February, Cubs' President Theo Epstein called him the "pre-eminent strikeout pitcher of our generation."
