San Diego Padres fans have spent the last decade watching Yu Darvish do the same magic trick in different uniforms: walk to the mound like he’s carrying a suitcase full of pitches, then empty it one filthy option at a time. That’s why his comments on Dec. 15 — a month and a half removed from right elbow surgery — land like a gut punch. Not because they’re dramatic, but because they’re honest.
In an article by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Darvish essentially admitted that the idea of him throwing another game is no longer floating around in his mind.