Darvish wins MLB debut
Associated Press
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Yu Darvish had a feeling of calmness when he took the mound for his much-anticipated major league debut for the Texas Rangers.
Once he settled down his big right arm to match how his mind felt, and got past a rough start with some help from his powerful offense, Darvish was a winner for the two-time defending American League champions in an 11-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
“Mentally, I was very calm, but my body felt like it wanted to go and go and go,” Darvish said through his translator. “At the beginning of the game, my mind and my body kind of weren’t on the same page.”
After giving up four runs while throwing 42 pitches in the first inning, then allowing another run in the second, Darvish (1-0) later retired 10 in a row while pitching into the sixth.
“It was pretty much a battle all night,” Darvish said. “Just knowing my offense, if I could string those zeroes together, they would answer for me.”
Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer in the third for Texas to tie the game at 5, then Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton both went deep in the fourth to give Darvish an 8-5 lead.
Ian Kinsler added a three-run blast in the eighth, his second of the season, then said after the game that he has agreed to a new $75 million, five-year contract. That deal is pending a physical and would start next season, replacing a $10 million option the team had for 2013.
Darvish was Japan’s top pitcher before the Rangers committed more than $107 million to acquire him, his guaranteed $56 million, six-year contract and a more than $51 million posting fee to his former team. Despite the early struggles in his first start, the 25-year-old right-hander is undefeated in Texas.
“Going through warmups and everything, he felt fine,” said catcher Mike Napoli, sporting a “Yu is my Homeboy” T-shirt after the game. “He got out there and was over-amped. I don’t think he was scared, he was excited to be out there.”
Darvish walked leadoff hitter Chone Figgins on four pitches to start the game before striking out Dustin Ackley.
Ichiro Suzuki then blooped a single just over third base, and Justin Smoak lined a single to right before Kyle Seager’s two-run single. Another walk and an RBI single by Miguel Olivo reloaded the bases before Munenori Kawasaki, an eight-time All-Star in Japan who was the only Mariner to previously face Darvish, walked on four pitches and put Seattle up 4-0.
There was also a wild pitch thrown so hard that it ricocheted off the brick backstop right back to Napoli.
“In the first inning, it just seemed like he couldn’t get control of his emotions. He checked himself, and showed what kind of battler and warrior he is,” manager Ron Washington said. “He got us into the sixth inning, almost finished the sixth.”
After No. 9 batter Brendan Ryan was hit by a pitch with one out in the third, Darvish retired the next 10 batters before Ackley walked and Suzuki singled with two outs in the sixth.
When manager Ron Washington replaced him with Alexi Ogando — who struck out Smoak to end that inning — Darvish got a loud ovation from the crowd that was also chanting “Yuuuuuuu!” as he walked to the dugout without acknowledging the cheers.
“My impression was good, not his pitching but just in general after he was taken out of the game,” Suzuki said through a translator. “You saw the crowd did a standing ovation and he didn’t tip his cap, he wasn’t very happy or satisfied with his pitching, and that shows pride. That’s a good mentality, that’s what I liked about him.”
Darvish called it moving to get that kind of reaction after his tough performance, and said he wasn’t aware it was customary to tip his cap to the crowd.
“I guess we’ll tell him,” Napoli said with a smile.
Darvish struck out five and walked four while throwing 59 of his 110 pitches for strikes. He gave up eight hits.
Seattle starter Hector Noesi (0-1) only made it into the fourth. The right-hander was gone after Napoli drew a leadoff walk and Moreland followed by pulling a 382-foot homer down the right-field line for a 7-5 lead.
Noesi struck out three and walked three and gave up six hits in his three-plus innings.
Michael Young and Cruz had consecutive two-out RBI singles in the first off Noesi, but Seattle got another run in the second when Suzuki doubled and scored on a double by Seager.
Darvish, 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in 167 games in Japan’s Pacific League the past seven seasons, got out of the second when Michael Saunders took a called third strike. Darvish then got on a roll in the third before the Rangers’ big bats put him in the lead.
Cruz, the ALCS MVP last October, got his first homer of the season when he pulled a liner into the left-field seats right after Hamilton was called out at home trying to score on Young’s grounder.
Hamilton argued briefly with home plate umpire Paul Nauert, and replays showed that the slugger might have slid around catcher Olivo’s tag.
There was no doubt about Hamilton scoring in the fourth, his second homer of the season a solo shot over the center-field wall off rookie right-hander Erasmo Ramirez.
That was the only run allowed in three innings by Ramirez in his major league debut.
YANKEES 6, Orioles 2
BALTIMORE — The New York Yankees finally won their first game of the season, using four hits by Derek Jeter and an effective pitching performance by Ivan Nova.
Andruw Jones homered for the Yankees, who averted the fourth 0-4 start in franchise history — the first since 1973. New York began the season by losing three straight to Tampa Bay.
Nova (1-0) allowed two runs and 10 hits (six for extra bases) in seven innings, striking out seven with no walks. Orioles starter Brian Matusz (0-1) threw 96 pitches in laboring through four innings. He gave up four runs, six hits and four walks in absorbing his 10th straight loss over two seasons.
RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 2
TORONTO — Ryan Sweeney singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Blue Jays, spoiling Toronto’s home opener and avoiding the first back-to-back 0-4 starts in team history.
Dustin Pedroia homered and scored the tying run as the Red Sox handed new Blue Jays closer Sergio Santos his second blown save in three appearances.
Handed a 2-1 lead to start the ninth, Santos (0-1) surrendered a leadoff double to Pedroia, who advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez.
Kevin Youkilis struck out before David Ortiz and Cody Ross drew consecutive walks. After a visit to the mound by pitching coach Bruce Walton, Sweeney hit an RBI single through the right side. ANGELS 5, TWINS 1
MINNEAPOLIS — C.J. Wilson won his awaited Angels debut with seven smooth innings, giving Los Angeles all the boost it needed to beat the Twins and spoil Minnesota’s home opener.
Wilson (1-0) allowed three hits while striking out five, giving up only one fly ball, a home run by Josh Willingham. Wilson, who struck out Joe Mauer twice, had a 2-0 lead before he even touched the mound, after Torii Hunter’s single and Bobby Abreu’s double drove in first-inning runs against Nick Blackburn.
Albert Pujols didn’t get a ball out of the infield in four at-bats, but he reached on a fielder’s choice, hustled from first to third on a single to center and scored the Angels’ first run. Pujols is 3 for 14 through four games, with one run batted in.
Blackburn (0-1) was charged with five runs over six innings, but he recorded 15 straight outs in one stretch and surrendered just five hits, a decent first start after two straight rough seasons.
WHITE SOX 4, INDIANS 2
CLEVELAND — Chris Sale won his first career start, limiting Cleveland to one run in 6 2-3 innings and leading the White Sox to a win over the Indians.
Sale pitched out of Chicago’s bullpen the past two seasons but moved into the rotation after ace Mark Buehrle left as a free agent this winter. The left-hander, who had made 79 relief appearances, took a one-hit shutout into the sixth. In his longest outing, Sale allowed three hits and struck out five.
The 23-year-old had little trouble with a Cleveland team that came in batting .153.
Rookie Hector Santiago gave up Jose Lopez’s homer in the ninth before getting his second save.
A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run homer in the first, four batters after Alejandro De Aza homered leading off against Josh Tomlin (0-1).
ATHLETICS 1, ROYALS 0
Tommy Milone allowed three hits over a career-high eight innings in an impressive Oakland debut, and the Athletics beat the Royals.
Milone (1-0) faced the minimum in five of his innings, including getting through the fourth despite throwing only two strikes among his 10 pitches.
Perhaps for a night, Milone made it easier for the small group of fans who turned out at the Coliseum to picture life without lefty Gio Gonzalez. The A’s acquired Milone from the Nationals in December, sending All-Star Gonzalez to the nation’s capital.
Luis Mendoza hung tough through 5 2-3 innings in the opener of Kansas City’s lone trip to Oakland this year. The right-hander (0-1), who went 4-0 with a 0.47 ERA in six spring training starts, allowed one earned run on five hits, struck out two and walked four.
Cards down Reds
CINCINNATI — Matt Holliday, David Freese and Yadier Molina homered during the St. Louis Cardinals’ big first inning, and Jake Westbrook found his control after a rough start. The defending World Series champions improved to 4-1 with an offense that hasn’t missed Albert Pujols so far.
Only 20 pitches into the game, Reds starter Homer Bailey (0-1) trailed 4-0. It was the second time this season that St. Louis hit three homers in an inning. Molina also doubled home a pair of runs in the eighth.
Westbrook (1-0) overcame an early bout of wildness, allowing only three hits and one unearned run in seven innings. The right-hander slimmed down in the offseason and had an impressive spring training, getting the sink back on his fastball.
Bailey retired the first two Cardinals then came apart. Holliday homered, Lance Berkman walked and Freese homered. Molina also homered on the next pitch.
After the bad opening inning, Bailey settled in and allowed only two more hits while pitching into the sixth inning.
MARLINS 6, PHILLIES 2
PHILADELPHIA — Anibal Sanchez took a three-hitter into the seventh, Omar Infante hit a pair of solo homers and Miami spoiled Philadelphia’s home opener.
Sanchez (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings, outpitching two-time All-Star Cole Hamels (0-1).
Gaby Sanchez had two hits and two RBIs, Emilio Bonifacio had three hits and Austin Kearns hit a solo shot off Jonathan Papelbon.
Hamels allowed four runs — three earned — and eight hits, striking out nine in 5 1-3 innings for the Phillies, who are missing Chase Utley and Ryan Howard from the middle of the lineup.
GIANTS 7, ROCKIES 0
DENVER — Barry Zito threw a four-hitter for his first shutout in nine years and Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer to lead San Francisco over Colorado.
Zito (1-0) allowed three harmless singles and a double. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four in tossing his fifth career shutout and first since April 18, 2003, against Texas.
Brandon Crawford helped ruin the Rockies’ home opener with a three-run double off reliever Matt Reynolds in the fifth that made it 7-0.
Jhoulys Chacin (0-1), who led the Rockies in wins, ERA, innings and strikeouts last season, gave up four runs, all earned, on four hits and five walks in four shaky innings.
METS 4, NATIONALS 3
NEW YORK — Daniel Murphy singled home the winning run in the ninth and New York took advantage of a throwing error by reliever Henry Rodriguez to beat Washington.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his first major league homer for the Mets, who are 4-0 for the first time since 2007. Jon Rauch (1-0) worked two hitless innings for his first win with New York.
Pinch-hitter Mike Baxter drew a leadoff walk from Rodriguez (0-1) in the ninth. Ruben Tejada put down a sacrifice bunt and Baxter advanced to third on a wild throw to first.
Baxter was initially waved home, but a late stop sign caused him to slip and scramble back to third. Murphy followed with his winning single.
ASTROS 8, BRAVES 3
HOUSTON — Travis Buck drove in two runs, Justin Maxwell homered in his Houston debut and the Astros rebounded from an early deficit thanks to sloppy defensive play by Atlanta.
Houston trailed 3-0 in the third before a trio of errors by the Braves, with two from third baseman Juan Francisco, led to three unearned runs and tied the game.
Astros starter J.A. Happ drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the fourth that made it 4-3. Pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez and Jose Altuve drove in a run each in the sixth.
Happ (1-0) allowed six hits and three runs with five strikeouts in six innings for the win.
Brandon Beachy (0-1) allowed four hits and four runs — one earned — in five innings.
BREWERS 7, CUBS 5
CHICAGO — Aramis Ramirez drove in two runs in his return to Wrigley Field, Ryan Braun got booed relentlessly and Milwaukee hung on to beat Chicago.
The Brewers held a four-run lead going into the ninth before the Cubs scored two runs and had the bases loaded when John Axford struck out Starlin Castro on three pitches to end it.
Shawn Marcum (1-0) settled down after a shaky start and gave up three runs in six solid innings. Rickie Weeks homered, while Braun had two hits and scored a run.
Matt Gamel added a run-scoring triple off Shawn Camp (0-1) and scored in the sixth, breaking a 3-3 tie. Camp gave up three runs on five hits in two inning of work.
