Dodgers: Yu Darvish Opens Up About Astros’ Sign Stealing, Game 7
Obviously, when the Houston Astros’ sign stealing accusations first came out; Yu Darvish was the first individual player I thought about. Of course, Darvish is the infamous starting pitcher of game seven of the 2017 World Series. As you know, he didn’t last long that night.
Now, Darvish is taking the time to talk about about the Astros and how it pertains to his life and career. Equally important, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times transcribes Darvish’s personal YouTube acconut video which was posted last night.
Yu Darvish is conflicted over #Astros sign-stealing allegations. “Because I had that experience, I was able to work hard these last two years and become the person I am now.” https://t.co/79OwjekIQ1 #Dodgers
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) November 15, 2019
Indeed, it’s an interesting read. Moreover, Darvish seems like a really likable and quality guy when you take the time to read his responses. First off, he says the whole experience has helped him evolve as a person.
“Because I had that experience, I was able to work hard these last two years and become the person I am now.”
Then, Darvish says something that I really admire. He doesn’t absolve himself of all the blame. For instance, he realizes that he was the pitcher throwing to the Astros the night they won the series. Even if some funny business was going on in the Houston dugout like this, he realizes his role in everything.
“I feel that if I absolve myself and say it was the Astros’ fault I was bad in Game 7, in the World Series, I can’t develop as a person,” he said. “In life, I think huge failures are extremely important. I’ve had a few up to this point. The World Series was one of them. I think it will remain a point of reference for me. I’ve already learned a lot from it. So regarding that, I can’t view myself charitably. I think I have to continue to accept the results.”
You can watch the entire Darvish video here, but you will need the ability to translate like Hernandez does for us.
Finally, what he says at the end of his video might be the most interesting. Certainly to me, it’s the most admirable. Darvish doesn’t blame the Astros for his poor performance, or the game seven loss of the 2017 World Series necessarily.
“If you ask me if I got hit in Game 7 because they stole signs, I don’t think so,” he said. “The Astros have great players who don’t have to do that. So I think that whether or not they stole signs, the results wouldn’t have changed.”
Whether you like him or not, Darvish has to move up a little bit in your mental book after this; right?
I think he’s wrong about things being the same regardless of sign stealing. We saw how bad the Astros looked at times this past postseason when the heat was on them after many accusations. They had to cheat less if at all or in a different way and also the Nats had a system for stopping it
Even when you know what is coming, if it’s filthy enough; it’s tough to put wood on. Strasburg was that kind of Bull this past postseason.
Stealing signs is a part of the game. If the Astros used cameras or some other technology to do it then they were wrong and should be punished. However, it won’t change the result. I saw the games that Darvish pitched on TV and he had a look of fear on his face in both starts. He just didn’t have “it” and the Astros could see it. I could see it. Everyone could see it.
Like this past season, the Dodgers had other pitching options and despite the obvious body language and palpable uncertainty Dave Roberts allowed Darvish to continue and game was over by the second inning. This was as much Dave Roberts and the Dodger braintrust’s fault as it was Yu Darvish.
I didn’t look at it this way until after this past year. I looked back and even as a true Blue fan I see a pattern. This time the pattern of decision making hurt one of our own, Clayton Kershaw, in a way that I believe will change him forever… It was painful to watch but there it was again! With all of the talent in the world and even if the Dodgers get Rendon, Cole and Lindor, it won’t make a difference if the field manager cannot make the moves that are necessary in the most crucial instances in playoff games.
I saw the Yu Darvish interview. I used to be so mad when I thought of this man because I blamed him for 2017 with those two horrible outings, but after seeing this I have a new perspective. I am OK with Yu Darvish.
The hell with Darvish and the Astros, who got what they deserved this year – losing all 4 games at home. We are still without the WS title we deserved in 2017, however.
I agree with Tavizon.
We can have a squad of Koufax clones and we will still manage to mismanage the crucial games.