By the most important measure, Yu Darvish had a good game Monday night. His Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees. Darvish himself earned a win, pitching seven innings and striking out eight in Texas' 4-2 victory.
But here's where Darvish failed: He still couldn't figure out Brett Gardner, the Yankees center fielder and leadoff man. Gardner hit more two homers off Darvish, going 3-for-5 in the game.
That improved Gardner's career mark against Darvish to 5-for-11. Four of this hits? Homers. That makes him one of three players to have four career homers against Darvish (Brandon Moss and Mike Trout are the other two).
That fact and the .455 career batting average were enough for Darvish to unload one of the best quotes of the year. Per ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews:
You hear that, Jerry and Faye Gardner of Holly Hill, S.C.? You done good.
Afterward, Gardner couldn't explain why he's done so well against Darvish. Or, if he can explain, he's keeping it a secret.
''I'm not sure. I try to get good at-bats. Small sample size,'' Gardner said. ''It's hard to have confidence in the batter's box when he's on the mound.''
It'll sure be easier next time, knowing he's hit four homers off one of baseball's best pitchers.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
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