Darvish started the 2024 Major League Atlanta Braves away match at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia on the 20th (Korea time) and pitched well with 99 pitches, two hits, one walk and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
Darvish’s appearance on the day was a hot topic of conversation in Japan. That’s why Darvish was set to win 200 games in total between the U.S. and Japan. NHK sent him to the mound instead of broadcasting Shohei Ohtani. As such, Darvish received a lot of attention from all over Japan. And it seems that the fact that the game was not held due to rain on the previous day (19th) gave Darvish a big boost. Darvish made history and reaped his 200th victory.
Darvish quickly accumulated an out count in the first inning, tying leadoff hitter Ronald Acuna Jr. to third base and follow-up hitter Azi Albies to right field. Later, he was in crisis when he was hit by Marcel Osuna’s double, but struck out follow-up hitter Matt Olson with three pitches. And in the second inning, leadoff hitter Orlando started off with a hit by Arcia, but with a fantastic help from Manny Machado-Kim Ha-sung, he tied Michael Harris II to a double play, and struck out Jack Short to end the inning.
The cruise continued. Darvish allowed Akuna Jr. to walk after cooking Jarrod Kellnick-Chadwick tromp in the third inning, but he failed again this time. Then, he pitched flawless from the fourth inning. Darvish struck out Osuna with a knuckle curve and Arcia with a slider, and in the fifth inning, he perfectly turned the lineup that Harris II and Short-Kellnick led to, meeting the requirements for victory. He also struck out two in the sixth inning, turning Atlanta’s lineup into a “fallen leaves.”
Based on his leisurely number of pitches, Darvish took the mound in the seventh inning as well, and displayed perfect finishing touches. Darvish struck out leadoff hitter Osuna with a curveball, and caught Olsen with a fly ball to left field. He also grounded Arcia to shortstop to record a quality start+ (less than three earned runs in seven innings) and secured his fourth win (one loss) of this season for the 200th time in the U.S.-Japan career amid full support from the batters.
Darvish created numerous records on the day. Starting with the Texas Rangers in 2012, Darvish had no loss in four consecutive games since joining the Major League, following the Cincinnati Reds (five scoreless innings), the Chicago Cubs (five scoreless innings), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (seven scoreless innings) on Sunday. This marks the second time that a starting pitcher aged 37 or older has lost four consecutive games, according to Sarah Reims of MLB.com .
This was not the only record he had. As he had no loss in four consecutive games, Darvish’s longest scoreless streak was only 18 innings, while he added seven more innings to set a new personal record of 25 consecutive innings. Based on his solid pitching, Darvish became the third pitcher to achieve 200 wins overall between the U.S. and Japan after Hiroki Kuroda (203 wins) and Hideo Nomo (201 wins). Now, if he adds one more win, he will stand alongside his old mother, and if he adds three more games, he will be tied with Kuroda.
The San Diego Padres expressed their congratulations to Darvish. “Congratulations on your 200th win in the U.S.-Japan career!” San Diego said in Japanese on its SNS. “You were born too late to explore the world. You were born too early to explore space. You were born just in time to watch Darvish pitch.”
In an interview with NHK after the game, Darvish said, “It doesn’t feel particularly real. I’m a doubleheader tomorrow, and I’m glad I could throw seven innings,” adding, “I didn’t have much strength in my body as my pitching was postponed a day due to rain, but I had good breaking balls and my curve got better from the middle, so I think I was able to distract my opponent by throwing various pitches while mixing them.”
“I wanted to achieve 200 wins today because NHK broadcasted my game even when I stopped broadcasting Ohtani,” Darvish said of broadcasting his game. “Actually, my team members would not have known about the 200 wins,” he said. “The entire Nippon-Ham Fighters, or Japanese fans, helped me overcome myself and nurtured me. I’m trying hard not to forget that gratitude.”
First of all, Darvish eased significant pressure by reaching 200 wins without “nineteen” moves. “Now, I have confidence. I will make sure to win my 201st game in my next game,” he said. “I lost three games in a row in the last series against Atlanta, and I’m glad I got to win two games in a row.”
BY: 토토사이트