The MLB season began on Wednesday with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres meeting in Seoul, South Korea. Yu Darvish took the mound for the Padres, and he put some of his filthy stuff on display for an international audience.
After walking Mookie Betts, the first batter he faced, Darvish was locked in for the rest of the first inning. With slugger Freddie Freeman at the plate and Betts on first, Davish reached back and found a nasty two-seam fastball that he blew by Freeman for a strikeout.
Thanks to the Ump Cam that was used on the broadcast, fans at home got a firsthand look at what it was like to face that pitch. In a fraction of a second, the pitch goes from tracking inside to breaking over the plate for the third strike.
UMP CAM 😍 pic.twitter.com/NNuqkjK5eI
— Cut4 (@Cut4) March 20, 2024
If that's the kind of pitching the Padres are going to get from Darvish this season, they should bounce back from a frustrating 2023 campaign. Darvish did have a short leash on Wednesday, getting pulled after giving up three walks, two hits, and one run in 3.2 innings of work.
San Diego went on to lose the game, 5-2, as the Los Angeles pitching staff silenced the Padres' bats after the first four innings. The Padres will try to bounce back tomorrow in the second game and level the Seoul Series before coming back for their home opener on Mar. 28.
