Yu Darvish to continue rehab assignment Sunday in Frisco
FRISCO, TEXAS (May 18, 2016) - The Texas Rangers have announced that Yu Darvish will continue his Major League rehabilitation assignment with the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Rangers, and is scheduled to make a start on Sunday, May 22 at 4:05 p.m. when the RoughRiders host the San Antonio Missions at Dr Pepper Ballpark. Darvish is expected to throw six innings or about 90 pitches.
Darvish, 29, underwent Tommy John surgery last March and spent the entire 2015 season on the disabled list. This will be his fifth rehab start this year and third with Frisco. In his first outing with Frisco, Darvish tossed a pair of scoreless innings on May 1 at Dr Pepper Ballpark. Tuesday in Midland, he pitched five innings and allowed just three hits and an unearned run, while walking one and striking out six.
In two appearances with Round Rock, Darvish threw three and four innings respectively and allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits combined across the two starts. He fanned seven and walked three with the Express.
The three-time American League All-Star is entering his fifth Major League season after signing with Texas as a free agent on January 18, 2012. He has a lifetime 39-25 record with a 3.27 ERA and 680 strikeouts in 83 MLB games.
Darvish finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2012. The right-handed pitcher also placed second in the AL Cy Young Award vote in 2013, as he led the Majors with 277 strikeouts. On April 6, 2014, Darvish reached the 500 strikeout mark in fewer innings pitched than any starting pitcher in MLB history.
The 10-year professional baseball veteran spent the first seven years of his career pitching for Nippon-Ham of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League. During his career in Japan, Darvish had a 93-38 record with a 1.99 ERA and 1,250 strikeouts. He was a five-time NPB All-Star and won the Pacific League MVP twice, in 2007 and 2009.
Darvish's first rehabilitation start in Frisco drew the fourth largest crowd in team history, as 11,842 fans packed Dr Pepper Ballpark on May 1. To purchase tickets for this Sunday's contest, click here.
The RoughRiders return home Friday, May 20 to host the Missions in a four-game series at Dr Pepper Ballpark. Tickets for all games during the upcoming homestand and the rest of the season are available now online at RidersBaseball.com, via email at [email protected], over the phone at (972) 731-9200, or in-person at the RoughRiders box office. The RoughRiders host 70 games through Labor Day, September 5.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance in each of the last 11 seasons (2005-2015). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg and Scott Sonju. The new ownership group, together with the city of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise improvements over the past two seasons, investing over $7 million in wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including the new state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store, and the newest and biggest creation, the 174-foot Choctaw Lazy River. The improvements made prior to the 2015 season earned the Riders and the City of Frisco "Best Ballpark Renovation" of 2015 by Ballpark Digest. More than 130 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Chris Davis, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Gonzalez, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and C.J. Wilson as well as current Rangers stars Derek Holland, Rougned Odor, and Mitch Moreland. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact Nathan Barnett at (972) 334-1976 or via e-mail at [email protected].
###