Cy Young Award Winner Yu Darvish To Pitch In Round Rock

ROUND ROCK, TX -- As he works to get back to the "big show," three-time All Star and 2013 Cy Young Award winner Yu Darvish will make a stop at Dell Diamond this Friday.

It's likely to be a sold-out game given his popularity, both among fans of the Texas Rangers where he pitched before embarking on an injury rehab, and among members of the Asian-American community where he's reached rock star status.

At 6' 5" tall, Darvish cuts quite a commanding presence on the pitching mound. He'll likely throw 45 pitches for the Round Round Express series opener against News Orleans, noted the Austin American-Statesman. The game is scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m.

“He’ll be on a tight pitch count and probably go three innings,” Express manager Jason Wood told the Statesman. “They’ll slowly build up his stamina. I’m guessing we’ll have him for a couple of starts in the next home stand.”

It gets better, Darvish fans. Given eight straight games at Dell starting Friday, Darvish could likely make a second local appearance May 11 against Oklahoma City, the Statesman noted. He's likely to throw 60 pitches on that day, the newspaper reported.

Darvish, 29, is recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery that he had back in March 2015.

The starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers, Darvish also pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national team. He arrived to Major Leagues Baseball in 2012.

>>> Photo of Darvish via WikiMedia Commons