Despite not always being appreciated during his time in Texas, Yu Darvish made sure to thank the Rangers faithful before leaving town.
Darvish, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers before Monday's non-waiver trade deadline, took out a full-page ad in Thursday's issue of The Dallas Morning News to thank Rangers fans for his time in Texas.
"Thank you very much for the past 5.5 years since 2012," the ad states. "Coming from Japan, I could not have adjusted to the new environment if it weren't for all the courteous fans, teammates, team staff and all affiliates who supported me."
The polarizing starting pitcher wasn't going to leave without addressing the haters, though.
"There were a small number of voices that said, 'Darvish only cares about strikeouts,'" he stated in the ad. "Although I may have had strikeouts in my mind, fans, team, teammates and team staff were always my top priority.
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During his time in Texas, Darvish pitched 782.2 innings with an ERA of 3.42, racking up 960 strikeouts. He finished in the top 10 of the American League Cy Young Award voting twice (2012 and 2013).
Darvish ranks among the top of most team pitching records, including ERA (fourth), strikeouts per 9 innings (first), fewest hits per 9 innings (second) and winning percentage (fifth).
Click here to see the full ad in The Dallas Morning News.
