Arguably, Shohei Ohtani is one of the best hitters in the world. But while the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first game with the San Diego Padres went stellar, and they won, the second outing wasn’t the same and Ohtani choked! The most surprising part is the fact that Ohtani’s loss mainly came at the hands of his childhood hero—Yu Darvish. Growing up, Ohtani always looked up to his countryman Darvish as an inspiration, and this time, faced him on the field, and even lost.

Darvish, on the other hand, had his head on the game. He focused on all nine players and not just the Dodger’s star player. This must have been the magic approach that paid off. Because he pitched seven solid innings in a 10-2 win and got Ohtani out all three times, they faced each other. Everyone was dazed by this performance, including Alex Rodriguez, who couldn’t help but call the 38-year-old Padres pitcher a ‘Mad Scientist” for his stellar gameplay.

Alex Rodriguez in awe of Yu Darvish

Beating the best hitter in the game is no easy feat, but Yu Darvish made it look effortless. What is even more surprising is the fact that Darvish wasn’t even in the picture for the San Diego Padres until a while back. He has suffered injuries and only just made a comeback recently. And what a comeback performance he has given- on a night when the Padres needed him the most, he delivered. A-Rod was gaga over Darvish’s performance on Sunday night. 

Yu Darvish tied the NDLS at one game apiece. Alex Rodriguez marvels at Darvish’s performance saying that he has faced Darvish plenty of times before. And he appreciated the way Darvish has progressed and mentioned how rewarding it is to see him come so far. “Credit to him; he’s like a mad scientist, and credit to the Padres staff that has let him be creative, think outside the box, use all seven pitches,” said Alex Rodriguez about Sunday’s game.

According to Rodriguez, young pitchers should take Yu Darvish as an example. He highlighted that throwing seven innings with two strikeouts is truly commendable. The focus should be winning rather than just racking up strikeouts. Darvish’s performance, according to him, showed that a proper defense and strategy can go a long way. 

The day the San Diego Padres shined throughout

Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani—the game was a rollercoaster right from the start. Darvish opened the night with two balls outside the strike zone. But he quickly bounced back with two strikes and even threw a 90mph splitter that Shohei Ohtani chased. Darvish retired Shohei Ohtani not once, but three times, and proved that he was made for such clutch moments. 

Plus, the San Diego Padres‘ bat was also on fire. Fernando Tatis Jr. slashed a homer in the first inning and even David Peralta followed up with a two-run shot in the second. Then Jackson Merrill stepped up with a single that scored Tatis, followed by a two-run homer in the eighth. Xander Bogaerts also joined in with a homer, making the Padres lead to 7-1. Tatis Jr. after the game, said, “If we keep showing up like this, there’s no limit for us.”

Although there were plenty of emotions going through during the game, all the team cared about was taking care of the business at hand first. The game ended on a dominant note for the San Diego Padres. Although some Los Angeles Dodgers fans did end up throwing garbage onto the field, pausing the game briefly. Apart from that, things were as per their gameplay. Do you think the Padres will win the next game? Let us know.