Much has been made of how many different pitches Yu Darvish throws, but trying to assign a number to his vast repertoire is as futile as it is limiting. Whether the tally is closer to 11 or 69 or 420, the truth is that he’s more like a painter who can mix and match as he pleases with infinite shades or gradients. Top it off with that flow sprouting from beneath his hat and he’s baseball’s version of Bob Ross.
Darvish made plenty of hitters look like happy little trees, rooted as they were to the ground when he vexed them with something they didn’t expect.