Yu Darvish has every right to be bitter, but he’s not.
The former Dodgers pitcher holds no grudges against the Houston Astros, who may (or may not) have been cheating during his disastrous outings during Games 3 and 7 of the 2017 World Series. Darvish told Times columnist Dylan Hernández this week that he should have pitched better during that series, regardless of any possible shenanigans on the other side.
He also holds no grudges toward the fans who booed him two years ago when he returned to Dodger Stadium as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Darvish told Hernández the fans have every right to express themselves in such a manner and encouraged them to do it again — “as loud as they can” — if they feel the need Friday night, when he takes the mound for the San Diego Padres.
Instead of harping on the negative, Darvish said, he likes to think back on the empathy he was shown by his former Dodgers teammates.
Here are some of Darvish’s most memorable quotes (translated from Japanese) from that interview, with context from Hernández’s column.