Yu Darvish scheduled to pitch in Frisco Sunday
FRISCO, TEXAS (July 8, 2016) - The Texas Rangers have announced that Yu Darvish will make his next Major League rehabilitation start with the Frisco RoughRiders on Sunday at Dr Pepper Ballpark when the RoughRiders take on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at 6:05 p.m. Darvish is expected to throw five innings or approximately 75 pitches.
Darvish, 29, has made four rehab starts with the RoughRiders in two different stints, going 1-1 with a 1.20 ERA in 15.0 innings of work. After his first rehab assignment, when the right-hander was recovering from Tommy John surgery, Darvish made three starts with the Rangers, going 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA.
Darvish is currently recovering from right shoulder discomfort, and Sunday will mark his second start in his current rehabilitation stint. He pitched 2.0-plus innings Monday at Northwest Arkansas, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
The three-time American League All-Star is in his fifth Major League season after signing with Texas as a free agent on January 18, 2012. He has a lifetime 41-25 record with a 3.26 ERA and 699 strikeouts in 86 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.
Sunday's game with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals will start at 6:05 p.m. at Dr Pepper Ballpark with the gates opening at 5:00 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets for Sunday's game, which will feature a Smiling Teddy Pillow Giveaway for the first 1,500 kids 12-and-under.
Fans can follow the action live on the Frisco RoughRiders Radio Network, which is also accessible on TuneIn Radio and the MiLB First Pitch app. A video feed, with simulcast audio, is also available to fans who have a subscription to MiLB.tv. The Dr Pepper Pregame Show begins at 5:30 p.m. on the RoughRiders Radio Network.
The Riders continue their homestand tonight with Salute to 8-Bit and Arcades Night. The evening will include Game Boy-themed jerseys, retro arcade games spread around the concourse, a retro and next-gen console giveaway, and more arcade-themed fun. The Riders will also host Princess Night on Saturday and give away Smiling Teddy pillows to the first 1,500 kids 12 and younger on Sunday. Tickets for those games and other remaining games this 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.
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].
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