By Jake Mintz
FOX Sports activities MLB Author
Years from now, we’ll all keep in mind how hopeless Max Scherzer appeared.
Nothing might presumably wipe that picture from our collective reminiscence: probably the most intimidating pitcher of a technology, a surefire Corridor of Famer, slugging off the mound beneath a hailstorm of boos after permitting seven runs in a dumpster hearth of a efficiency. In entrance of a sold-out Citi Area crowd, with the power excessive and the expectations greater, Scherzer crumbled towards the Padres within the Mets’ 7-1 loss in Sport 1 of the 2022 Wild-Card Collection.
However Mad Max’s sad-sack night time stung much more in distinction to the masterful pitching efficiency reverse him. Yu Darvish, one of many sport’s most tantalizingly gifted hurlers, confirmed up and delivered when Scherzer didn’t. Regardless of missing his filthiest swing-and-miss stuff, Darvish refused to let the Mets again into the ball recreation. After a rocky first inning that teetered on the brink, Darvish gave the Mets and their followers no cause for hope.
The 36-year-old right-hander hucked seven stellar frames Friday, permitting a single earned run on six hits and 0 walks. His devastating four-seam/cutter/slider triad baffled hitters all recreation, eliciting tons of weak contact from a clearly uncomfortable Mets lineup. What’s extra, by pitching by way of the seventh inning, Darvish — with a giant help from the Padres’ 4 homers — allowed skipper Bob Melvin to maintain his finest relievers contemporary for Saturday’s Sport 2.
And now, thanks largely to Darvish and the primary 100-pitch postseason efficiency of his exemplary profession, the Padres are one win away from an NLDS showdown with the Dodgers.
When it comes all the way down to it, the postseason is about dingers. Making an attempt to string hits collectively towards a crew’s finest handful of pitchers is a tricky job. One of the best technique, as a rule, is to attract a stroll or two after which purpose for the horizon. Golf equipment that may belt it over the fence when the climate will get chilly win extra video games than they lose. (The 2015 Royals are an exception that proves the rule.)
On Friday, except for Eduardo Escobar’s solo shot, Darvish saved the baseball within the yard. Scherzer didn’t. That in all probability has quite a bit to do with the 7-year-old Mets fan I noticed on the concourse punching a cement wall in disgust.
Despite the fact that Darvish danced one step forward of New York’s bats, his efficiency was extra workmanlike than dominant. The 4 strikeouts had been the fewest he has tallied in a begin since June 1. Scherzer — early journey to the showers and all — generated just one fewer swing-and-miss in 4⅔ than Darvish did in seven innings.
However being in management is much extra essential than being nasty. And Darvish by no means cracked, by no means gave up that back-breaking base knock. His most vital pitch of the night got here early, towards Pete Alonso within the backside of the primary inning with one out and Mets on the corners.
Alonso’s league-leading 131 RBIs this season broke a Mets franchise document. Each time geese have been on the pond this season, Alonso has typically introduced them house.
However Darvish went proper after the fearsome slugger, difficult him with a first-pitch sinker within the zone. Alonso bought his barrel on it and smoked the ball 400 toes down the left-field line however approach foul. Moments later, with the depend 0-2, Darvish froze Alonso with a picture-perfect cutter on the knees.
The following hitter, Daniel Vogelbach, flew out to proper to finish the menace. The Citi Area crowd returned butts to seats, by no means to rise once more.
The night time was a glowing spotlight in what has been a weird big-league journey for Darvish, who made the extremely anticipated trans-Pacific leap forward of the 2012 season. That winter, the Rangers paid a complete of $110 million to safe his providers, and for the primary three seasons, he delivered. He made three All-Star Video games in three years, completed second within the Cy Younger and led baseball in Okay/9 from 2012 by way of ‘14.
However then his elbow ligament mentioned “see ya,” and since then, it has been a whirlwind. Darvish blew out in spring of 2015, bought Tommy John, got here again a barely diminished model of himself in ‘16 and bought dealt on the 2017 deadline to the Dodgers, with whom he pitched nicely till the World Collection, the place he was knocked round by the eventual champion Astros, who had been possibly, in all probability dishonest.
After that, Darvish signed with the Cubs in free company after which was disappointingly mediocre for 2 seasons earlier than regaining his type in the course of the COVID-shortened season to complete second within the Cy Younger, at which level the cost-cutting Cubbies dealt him to San Diego. He was outrageously good pre-All-Star break in 2021, placing himself within the Cy Younger dialogue with a sub-3.0 ERA, however then, just like the Padres, he imploded down the stretch.
The purpose is Darvish’s profession has fluctuated between matches of brilliance and bouts of mediocrity, typically even throughout the identical begin. By way of all of it, the stuff has all the time tantalized, his kitchen sink of choices the proper fodder for Pitching Ninja GIFs. Nevertheless it additionally appeared at occasions, significantly in the course of the starting of his Cubs tenure and the again half of final season, that Darvish was chasing a ghost of himself.
This season has been a special story. Since a disastrous outing towards the Giants in his second begin of the yr, by which he gave up 9 runs and picked up simply 5 outs on a miserably windy and chilly night time in San Francisco, Darvish has posted the sixth-lowest ERA within the Nationwide League. His ultimate month was significantly good, as he allowed solely eight runs throughout six begins.
That sizzling stretch to finish the yr doubtless elevated Darvish above his friends in a Padres rotation of employed weapons and earned him the duty of a Sport 1 begin. On that stage, he shined, incomes his first postseason win for the reason that 2017 NLCS. Baseball has modified fairly a bit since then, and so has Darvish. He has reinvented himself as a pitcher quite a few occasions through the years, however he claims he lastly feels comfy and safe, due to a greater pregame routine that features mediation.
Darvish nonetheless has some demons on which to meditate — when requested about his 2017 World Collection struggles towards Houston, he declined to remark — however he’ll get ample alternative to beat the previous, ought to San Diego advance previous the Mets.
Now nearer to 40 than 30, he could be operating out of time to seize a hoop, however on Friday, he took a purposeful step towards pushing the Padres additional into October than they’ve gone in 25 years.
Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball author for FOX Sports activities. He’s an Orioles fan dwelling in New York Metropolis, and thus, he leads a lonely existence most Octobers. If he’s not watching baseball, he’s virtually definitely driving his bike. Comply with him on Twitter @Jake_Mintz.
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