Texas Rangers ace pitcher Yu Darvish narrowly avoided an ugly scene Tuesday night when a zipping line drive “glanced” off his head during batting practice. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has the story, which luckily ends with good news as Darvish avoided injury during the incident.
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Here’s Grant summing things up:
"On Tuesday, RHP Yu Darvish was hit in the head by a line drive while throwing in the outfield. Darvish was doing some flat ground work when Leonys Martin hit a ball in batting practice that tipped off Derek Holland’s glove and glanced off Darvish’s head."
Thankfully, Darvish only briefly reacted to the ball hitting his head before continuing his workout routine on the field. Trainers went out to check on the Japanese pitcher, but he refused treatment and continued going about his business.
After the whole mess, Darvish shot down any concerns for his health on social media:
Darvish is set to start Wednesday night for the Rangers as they face the Houston Astros. He’s already been cleared by team trainer Keith Meister and should be ready to take the mound without issue.
That’s a relief for Texas, which certainly couldn’t replicate the production that Darvish brings. Over 16 starts this year, he’s posted a 2.63 ERA with 134 strikeouts and 39 walks in 109.1 innings, following up his strong sophomore season with another quality campaign. After finishing second in AL Cy Young voting last year, he’ll likely be in the mix again this season.