San Diego Padres right-hander Darvish Yu, who is set to face his junior Shohei Ohtani, expressed his feelings.
Darvish had an interview with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a starting pitcher in Game 2 ahead of Game 1 of the Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the 6th (Korea time).
“It goes without saying how good the Dodgers are. It is our team’s goal to beat such a good team,” he said, expressing his feelings against the rival Dodgers in the same district.
The second game, in which Darvish will take the mound, is drawing attention as he faces Ohtani, a junior member of the Nippon Ham Fighters and a teammate of the national team.
“I remember it was 2014. We had dinner together then. Since then, we have trained together every offseason and have meals together from time to time, and we keep in touch,” he said of Otani’s relationship.
“It’s a great honor to hear that,” Ohtani said after being told by reporters that he started playing baseball after watching Darvish. “Ohtani is one of the best players in the league right now. It’s a great honor to hear that from such a player,” he continued.
“We’re talking about this and that from the standpoint of playing baseball in different countries because we’re from the same country,” he said of the conversational ㅔ between the two.
The two, who are good seniors and juniors, are scheduled to meet as opposing players a day later.
When asked about the matchup with Ohtani, Darvish said, “I’m not just thinking about facing Ohtani. I have to deal with all nine Dodgers hitters. I’m focusing on catching all of these hitters,” adding, “I’m not just thinking about matchups with any one player.”
“When I enter the game, I just want to maintain my concentration. My goal is to continue to throw the ball as planned with a high level of concentration,” he said.
“It was a bit of a different role for me, and I tried to adapt to it. I didn’t actually throw the ball and had a few days of rest. I was able to recover well thanks to this,” he said, adding that he is ready to take the mound without any problems.
“It’s a big blow,” said Joe Musgrove, who was sidelined due to an elbow injury. “We have players like Martin Perez, Matt Waldron, and Randy Vazquez. I think they will have a good matchup with each other. I’m looking forward to it,” he said, expressing trust in other players.
According to manager Mike Shildt, the Padres had a team meeting regarding Musgrove’s injury.
Shildt declined to disclose details but said, “It’s been a real struggle. Musgrove is an athlete of all the virtues that a good athlete possesses. He has a strong heart, competitiveness, camaraderie, leadership, and can enjoy decisive moments. At the same time, he is a really good human being. That’s why his departure is such a challenge. The team meeting was also held in a very difficult atmosphere. We will support him and support him. We will also find a way to go without him.” 먹튀검증
