Although he was scratched from his would-be Spring Training debut with the Cubs today due to illness, starter Yu Darvish was still able to get his work in – and then some.
First, the most important thing:
"I feel good," said Darvish, who thought it was better to take the safe route and throw a bullpen session in the wake of his illness
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) March 1, 2018
Yu Darvish " I just did this as a precaution " Darvish taliking about a side session instead of pitching in a game . ( flu symptoms and dehydration) Tuesday start next.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) March 1, 2018
Hydrated Darvish finishes bullpen session: pic.twitter.com/69g9YpwBqe
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) March 1, 2018
Felt well enough to throw, but at this point in the spring, no sense in pushing it beyond a bullpen session, which is a nice, controlled environment. And can drink plenty of water, too!
Clearly, Darvish felt well enough, because he went straight from throwing to batting practice:
https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/969273301364191232
He even had some fun(?) and took some hacks lefty:
Given that Darvish is also know to have quite a bit of ability pitching lefty, it only makes sense that he could swing the bat from that side, too. He’s just gonna be the first ambidextrous-pitching, switch-hitting player in baseball. If the Cubs clinch early enough, I do believe I’d like to see that.