Even when he's not pitching, Yu Darvish is ready to throw strikes.
18 months after Justin Verlander made a joke on Twitter at Darvish's expense, the latter returned the favor, clapping back at Verlander on Wednesday. This story, however, requires a flashback.
April 27, 2018: In his fifth career Cubs start, Darvish delivered on the mound and at the plate. Not only did he toss six innings of three hit, one run (no earned) ball, but he went 1-for-1 with a double at the plate. That double had a chance to be a triple, but Darvish slipped rounding second base and had to crawl back to remain safe.
Darvish's slip 'n slide drew Verlander's attention, with the latter poking fun at the notion that starting pitchers aren't the most athletic athletes in the world.
The story seemingly ended there, with Darvish having no retort to Verlander's shout out. But as it turned out, Darvish was simply biding his time, waiting for an opportune time to strike.
Oct. 23, 2018: In Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday, Verlander came off the mound to field a slow chopper. Although he got to the ball, he made an ill-fated throw, sending the ball of his own leg attempting to throw it to first.
And that's when Darvish came from the top rope.
Boom. Roasted. Verlander took the whole thing in stride; after all, there's not much you can say when someone uses your exact words against you. And in the end, the whole thing was in good fun from both sides.
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