How would you hit against Yu Darvish?
Do you take the first pitch no matter what, risking falling behind 0-1? Do you come out swinging, even though you're likely to swing at something that could look like it's in the zone, but then drop right out of it?
ESPN The Magazine talked to various hitters about how to approach Darvish and there wasn't a consensus. Here are a few players:
Johnny DamonRead the rest here. It's interesting to see how players are all over the map on how to approach him.
LF, Indians
Best ABs: Single to right on a cutter over the plate and an infield single on a fastball on May 6.
It'll give you a serious headache if you think about every one of his pitches, so I just thought about hitting a strike. If you see a strike, hit it. Don't think about anything else. I was the first batter of the game, so he was just getting going and happened to leave a pitch over the plate.
Jason Kipnis
2B, Indians
Best ABs: Two walks and a homer on a 2-0 fastball over the plate on May 6.
We knew him to be a bit erratic, so we wanted to not help him out, to make sure we swung at strikes and didn't chase his pitches. At first I was trying to do too much with my swing, so in my third at-bat, I simplified it and cut down on the effort and made sure I had hard contact, and that's when I got my home run.
So put yourself in one of the Angels' shoes Saturday. And let's say Darvish's command is good. What do you do? Are you looking for one pitch? Are you swinging early? Are you doing a dance with the hope of distracting him?
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus joins Galloway & Company to discuss having Scott Boras as his agent, his new contract and having Jurickson Profar in the lineup.
Play Podcast Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss Yu Darvish's pitch count and how he spends time in the clubhouse during weather delays.
Play Podcast Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company for his weekly visit to discuss the latest Rangers news.
Play Podcast Reid Ryan joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his new position with the Houston Astros and whether he could see his dad, Nolan, joining him there in the future.
Play Podcast ESPN MLB Insider Jayson Stark joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss if the Rangers are the best team in baseball, what makes them so good and if he thinks the team will trade Jurickson Profar.
Play Podcast Jim Bowden joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Ron Washington's decision to send Yu Darvish to the mound for the eighth inning Thursday night and how he would handle a situation like that if he were still a GM.
Play Podcast Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the latest Rangers news, including the Yu Darvish-Justin Verlander matchup.
Play Podcast Nelson Cruz joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Rangers' series in Oakland, his ups and downs at the plate and if the PED talks before the season were a distraction.
UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 30-17 | 15-7 | 15-10 | W1 | |
| SEA | 20-27 | 11-9 | 9-18 | L6 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 30-17 | 15-7 | 15-10 | W1 | |
| SEA | 20-27 | 11-9 | 9-18 | L6 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 30-17 | 15-7 | 15-10 | W1 | |
| SEA | 20-27 | 11-9 | 9-18 | L6 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Yu Darvish
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | I. Kinsler | .302 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 11 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 33 | ||||||||||
| R | E. Andrus | 29 | ||||||||||
| OPS | M. Moreland | .905 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 91 | ||||||||||
- There are no games scheduled for today.
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