Yu Darvish vs. Ichiro: Round 1

Monday night marked a historic night for the Texas Rangers organization. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who the Rangers paid nearly $112 million for, made his first appearance in Major League Baseball.

Besides it being his debut, there were many other storylines revolving around Darvish. Such things as, would his success in Japan correlate to baseball in America, or would he be another overpaid player like Boston's Diasuke Matsuzaka? 

One story that didn't receive as much attention was regarding how the right fielder for the Rangers' opponent fare against this highly touted and sought-after rookie? Well, as many as you know, that particular right fielder is a 10-time All-Star/Gold Glover, former MVP, and fellow Japanese native, Ichiro Suzuki. This certainly was not an issue of race or ethnicity, but it was still interesting to see who would get the upper hand: the new kid on the block or the proven hero? 

Well, it didn't take long to figure out. In the top of the first inning, Ichiro came up to the plate following Darvish's first career strike out. On the sixth pitch, Ichiro got the better of Darvish by taking the ball opposite for a single. Two batters later, Ichiro came around to score in what would be a four-run inning for the Mariners. 

In the second inning, the 25-year-old Darvish had his chance to even things up with Ichiro. Once again, the seasoned veteran came out on top by doubling to right field. And just like the first inning, Ichiro would come around to score. 

The first two innings were big for Seattle, as they roughed up the Japanese import for five runs on six hits and three walks. Then the nerves settled and he showed the Rangers fan and owners that he can be worth the money. His final line was 5.2 innings, five earned runs, five strikeouts, and four walks, with most of the damage coming in the first two innings. He exited after 110 pitches, but not without facing Ichiro again.

In the fourth, he finally got the best of Ichiro, getting him to ground out to first on a 3-1 count. Then once more in the sixth, in what would be Darvish's last batter, Ichiro singled up the middle to make him 3-for-4 on the night with two runs scored. 

Though Yu Darvish had a rough first outing, he managed to pick up the win in his first career start thanks to the Rangers' 11-run offensive outburst. The subplot battle between the two Japanese superstars, however, was won by the 38-year-old Ichiro. 

The teams play five series throughout the course of the season, so we're bound to see this matchup multiple times. For now though, Round 1 goes to Ichiro.