There were questions coming from all directions last August when the Texas Rangers made the decision to put Yu Darvish on the disabled list and shut him down for the season, splitting the Rangers' fandom, and according to some reports, the front office and on-field management, into two factions.
In the end, Darvish never pitched again after a bad start in Houston on Aug. 9 and finished his season with a 10-7 record and a 3.06 ERA, as the surgically repaired Colby Lewis led the team in innings pitched, not Darvish, the team's ace.
This week, Darvish arrived back in Arlington from Japan to meet with Rangers officials and his new manager, Jeff Banister, and to get examined by team physician Dr. Keith Meister to see how his previously inflamed right elbow is coming along.
Well, the results are in and Darvish was given a clean bill of health by Dr. Meister, meaning he can begin his normally scheduled throwing program in December and should be ready to roll when pitchers and catchers report to Surprise, Ariz., in February.
