As he walked across the Wrigley Field diamond on Wednesday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts burst into a smile. Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish had just completed a simulated game and came over to visit with former teammate Kenta Maeda. Roberts extended his hand to embrace Darvish. His affection for the player outweighed the bitterness over the ending of last season.
“Yu-san! How you doing, Yu?” Roberts said. “We miss you. Kenta misses you. You look good in this, but better in a Dodgers uniform.”
Acquired with minutes to spare at last summer’s trade deadline, Darvish’s legacy as a Dodger will always be sullied by his final two starts against the Houston Astros.