Baseball is all about numbers. Averages, percentages, statistics, rankings…everything. Lately I’ve noticed an unusual number pattern, call me crazy but I just can’t ignore the 11‘s that keep showing up around Yu Darvish.
11 is often referred to as the Master Number…let’s see how it affects Yu.
Let’s begin over seas. In 2011 Darvish was the highest paid pitcher in Japan. 2011 was also the last year he pitched in Japan, before coming to the US. In his last appearance in Japan on the Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvish departed in the 7th inning allowing one run on four hits and struck out nine. Except after he left the game, their opponents, the Saitama Seibu Lions, came back to win the game in extra innings. And in Yu Darvish’s last game played in Japan…his team lost in the 11th inning.
Yu Darvish wears 11 on his back.
In his heartbreaking almost perfecto was the first time I started to truly pay attention to 11. As most of you know he lost a perfect game with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. This made him the 11th pitcher in MLB history to lose a perfect game on his 27th batter. The perfect game was lost when Marwin Gonzalez got a hit up the middle on Darvish’s 111th pitch of the game.
Yu Darvish also pitched 111 pitches in his prior start to last night and win over the Mariners on 4/19.
In last night’s major beating of the Angel’s…which I was at and it was FANTASTIC to watch us demolish the Halos…Darvish started the game with a career ERA of 2.11 at Angels Stadium. At the end of the game his team had 11 hits, scored 11 runs, and he struck out 11. Darvish pitched 6 scoreless innings…making that a total of 11 innings pitched against the Angels thus far.
Also, as of today batters facing Darvish with Runners In Scoring Position have a batting average of .211.
Did I mention I wore number 11 on my back when I played too? 🙂
And I also make a wish at 11:11.
Anyways, these numbers may be crazy to draw together, but I just could’t resist. I think it’s safe to say we will being seeing great things from Rangers jersey number 11 this year.
And I think it would be fitting if this continues and we dropped one numeral from 11 and made Darvish the 1st in a Ranger uniform with an AL Cy Young award.
Go Rangers!!!
Stitched In My Soul 