Yu Darvish threw some live BP at Samurai Japan’s WBC training camp in Miyazaki on Tuesday. The first batter he faced, Munetaka Murakami, took him out to dead center, and I’ve got the video, and an English translation of Darvish’s media availability afterward.
“My goal today was more to get a feel for things rather than being precise in my deliveries,” Darvish said. “It was really fun with so many fans coming out to see us.”
“The instant he (Murakami) hit it, I thought it was gone. But for him to do that so soon into my stint, and to hit it where he did, I felt a little sad.”
“It was a two-seamer and I left it up a bit and in the middle of the plate, but a pitch like that is not something an MLB hitter is going to easily hit it the way he did. So that home run surprised me a bit.”
“He himself said the wind carried it out, but I’m experienced enough to know he hit it on the screws.”
—What do you think of Murakami?
“I’ve been watching him on video, and from that it looks like he’s the real thing. He has an aura. He’s very cheerful but when he’s focused, he looks scary.”
“Going forward, it looks like he’s going to go to MLB, and he’ll further change the image of what Japanese players are capable of.”
