Justin Verlander has been critical of the starting pitcher Yu Darvish of the Chicago Cubs. After he frivolously missed the chance of a triple in his 3-2 win over Milwaukee Brewers, Verlander accused his colleague of a lack of athleticism.
“Yu… He doesn’t do much against the assumption that pitchers are not athletes,” Verlander twittered on Friday.
In the fifth inning, Darvish hit a ball into Right Field, where Brewer Domingo Santana failed to control the game. The ball rolled into the corner of Wrigley Field, which would have given Darvish enough time to sprint to third.
But the Japanese man with Iranian roots backed down just behind second base and stumbled clumsily, which brought Verlander to his commentary.
“I told Almora in advance that I would beat a double so that he could put in a colorful one afterwards,” Darvish defended himself with a wink. It was his first double since July 2014 and the second in his career. Darvish has never scored a triple before, and is unlikely to get a better opportunity.
Shortly before Darvish astonished the audience at Wrigley Field with an interesting pitch. Against Manny Pina, he struck out with a 64-mile-an-hour curveball.
“I was ready for a fastball, a slider to the outside, and then he comes around the corner with it. He was really good today.”
The praise of his opponent should do Darvish good, he has been repeatedly criticized by the Cubs since signing his contract.