MESA -- His Chicago Cubs teammates and manager knew he would pass his first test, but Yu Darvish wasn't as confident.
The challenge in front of him had nothing to do with a bullpen session or throwing program. This was about evolving, as a teammate and as a person.
It was Day 2 of spring training, and Darvish had just finished speaking to Japanese reporters outside the Cubs practice facility. That was no big deal. He has been giving interviews in his native language his whole life. But when the English-speaking media approached him, the 32-year-old took a deep breath.