Even in the bullpen, Yu Darvish, the oldest member of the Samurai Japan World Baseball Classic team, was the center of attention Saturday.
Wearing the same red and navy colors he donned as the winning pitcher in the 2009 WBC final to seal Japan's last championship, the 36-year-old Darvish threw a 35-pitch bullpen at the team's training camp in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan.
Despite a crowd of teammates and former players, including 2009 WBC teammate and MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka and Japanese Hall of Famer Hideo Nomo, Darvish said he was locked in on his work.
"I was in a situation I can mentally control," he said. "I created my own world and just concentrated."
With every pitch, he checked the tracking data on a pad to see if he was getting the kind of spin and break on his pitches that he expected.
"I was able to throw about as well as I do in my best times in San Diego," the Padres right-hander said. "My command was at a high level."
Like the other four members of the team who play in MLB, Darvish is prohibited from taking part in any exhibitions before March 5. But that, Darvish said, will not be a problem for him before the tournament starts for Japan on March 9 at Tokyo Dome.
"If I get to throw live batting practice, I think I'll be fine," he said.
Darvish, who has not played in Japan since 2011, has said one of his priorities was achieving good communication with his Japan teammates.
In the bullpen, he answered questions from Takuya Kai, the six-time Golden Glove-winning catcher who handled his bullpen and watched teammates Shosei Togo and Atsuki Yuasa pitch.
"I think that they're gradually getting to understand my personality," Darvish said. "It doesn't feel like I'm the leader, but rather we'll just grow together day by day."
