Domo Arigato
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Don't look now, but the Texas Rangers – yes, the franchise mired in homers-over-hurlers mediocrity for 40 years – just signed the most expensive right-handed pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball.
Yu is most definitely da man.
With a $111 investment in the 25-year-old Japanese sensation, the Rangers dished out more yen for any pitcher not named C.C. Sabathia, Johan Santana, Mike Hampton, Barry Zito or Cliff Lee.
"He's got the potential to be (an ace)," says Rangers' president Nolan Ryan. "He's a special pitcher."
Says general manager Jon Daniels, "He's an animal on the mound."
After letting Lee and C.J. Wilson walk via free agency the last two winters, the Rangers are now convinced they can finally win a World Series behind a top pitching tandem that was three years ago pitching in Japan. Colby Lewis will start Opening Day in April against the Chicago White Sox. And on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball two nights later the cameras will be trained on Ryan, White Sox manager Robin Ventura and, of course, the most hyped Japanese import since the Toshiba laptop.
"He's the man in Japan," says Daniels. "An absolute rock star. It's going to be a media circus here. But we think he'll be capable of handling we can throw at him here in America."
And, fingers crossed, America won't be able to hit anything he throws at it.
The six-year contract isn't a knee-jerk reaction to finishing one strike short of a World Series last October or losing Wilson to the rival Anaheim Angels in December. No, the Rangers have been eyeing Darvish since 2006, according to Daniels. He's been a star in Japan since age 17 when he threw a no-hitter in the famed Koshien national high school baseball tournament. In Japan's Pacific League he's 93-38 and in the last five years his ERA hasn't been over 2.00. He's the Justin Verlander of Japan, winning their Cy Young (Eiji Sawamura Award) and MVP twice.
Granted the rest is longer (six-man rotations), the plate is bigger and the baseball smaller – with more pronounced seams – in Japan. But with a 6-foot-5, 227-pound frame, an effortless motion and command of seven pitches (he's already written a book called Yu Darvish's Breaking Pitch Bible), Darvish convinced the Rangers he's worth the $60 million contract, on top of the $51 million fee just to land exclusive negotiating rights.
The Rangers, who will introduce Darvish tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, scouted the pitcher, befriended his family – his father, Farsad, grew up in Massachusetts as a fan of the Dallas Cowboys – attended his games and won his rights with the highest bid. After the new year Darvish arrived in Arlington, dined with Ryan at Del Frisco's steakhouse in Fort Worth, bought shoes at The Parks Mall's Sun & Ski Sports and was impressed enough to come to America.
He brings with him – along with unprecedented expectations – a Japanese/Iranian heritage, an understanding of English but a shyness in speaking it, and a tabloid persona cultivated from just this week getting divorced from his actress wife, Saeko, smoking in a gaming parlor while underage and posing nearly nude for a magazine layout. During negotiations, however, Daniels says Darvish asked for no special perks such as the luxury suites on road trips and 10 lifetime passes to Disneyland required by Albert Pujols to sign with the Angels.
"He even said he'd wear the Hooters uniform during rookie hazing," Daniels jokes, "so I think he's going to be fine."
While he'll be hyped as much as David Clyde and Lee combined, Darvish won't be the Rangers' No. 1 starter when spring training begins Feb. 23 in Surprise, Arizona. Manager Ron Washington has already announced that Lewis will start Opening Day, and that Darvish will fall in line behind with a surplus of super arms like Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando, Scott Feldman, Martin Perez and Tanner Scheppers.
"No such thing as too much pitching. It's a good problem to have," Daniels says. "These things have a way of working themselves out."
Darvish's arrival is the biggest sports acquisition in the Metroplex since, well, Lee two years ago. Not as big as Deion Sanders joining the Cowboys. Or Super Bowl 45 coming to Cowboys Stadium. But bigger than the deals that landed Nolan Ryan, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Herschel Walker and maybe even Alex Rodriguez. Why? Because Darvish is joining a team that went to the World Series two years in a row and is thiiiiiis close to its first championship.
"I wish we could just let him pitch and not have all these expectations right out of the gate," Daniels says. "But we understand that comes with this type of acquisition."
Will Darvish be the most successful No. 11 in DFW history, surpassing the Cowboys' Danny White, the Rangers' Toby Harrah and the Mavs' J.J. Barea? Will Darvish and closer Joe Nathan be enough to stave off the drastic Angels' improvements of Wilson and Pujols? Will Darvish break the stigma of over-hyped, under-delivering Japanese pitchers like Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa? Will Ryan and assistant coach Mike Maddux be able to help Darvish learn to not just throw, but pitch in America? Will Darvish thrive in a world where he'll travel with an interpreter his first season?
Mostly, can Yu Darvish live up the expectations of his agent?
Says Arn Tellum, "Hopefully Yu can do for the Rangers what Dirk Nowitzki did for the Mavericks … lead them to a championship."
