Yu Darvish can’t be bothered with NL Cy Young race

Yu Darvish has been nothing short of excellent this season.

Chicago Cubs fans didn’t embrace Yu Darvish when he first started pitching on the north side, as his struggles with command led to him not pitching anywhere near the level of the $126 million contract he signed before the 2018 season. During the middle of last season, Darvish flipped a switch, which helped him become even more dominant than the guy who was leading the AL in strikeouts with the Texas Rangers.

Darvish’s production has carried over to 2020, as he has won five of his six starts and posted a 1.70 ERA. He has given up just two home runs in six innings and struck out 44 in 37 innings. While those sound like numbers that could win Darvish a Cy Young award, the Japanese star said that he isn’t interested in the award, boasting “I don’t want to think about that” after hurling seven great innings against the crosstown rival White Sox.

Yu Darvish should be near the front of the NL Cy Young race, even if he doesn’t want to acknowledge it

From July to October of last season, Darvish walked just seven batters and struck out 124. When compared to the 22 batters he walked in 28 innings in March and April, the difference is night and day. The Cubs have more than enough big boppers in the lineup, but the uncertainty within the pitching staff is what killed them last year.

With Darvish mowing batters down at the front of David Ross’ rotation, the Cubs have raced out to a 17-10 record, putting themselves at first place in the NL Central.

While he faces stern competition from the likes of Trevor Bauer, the resurgence of Darvish might be good enough to get him a Cy Young award if he is able to sustain this prolific performance into September.