LOS ANGELES — Nobody’s going to suddenly start declaring that Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish is a big-game pitcher after one or two starts.
But Darvish turned in his most significant start as a Cub — if not his best sheer performance — Saturday night by throttling the Dodgers’ formidable, playoff-bound lineup.
The Cubs eventually beat the Dodgers 2-1 on a ninth-inning home run by Anthony Rizzo, but it’s hard to overstate the significance of what Darvish did against his former team in his first start at Dodger Stadium since his infamous Game 7 meltdown in the 2017 World Series.
“They are the best team in the NL, and also I had a bad couple starts in my last couple games with the Dodgers,” Darvish said. “So this was, like, really important in my life.
“I think now I can move forward.”
Shrugging off several rounds of lusty boos from the crowd of more than 50,000, Darvish struck out 10, walked one and retired the final 11 batters he faced to keep pace with Dodgers starter Walker Buehler.
“I was really proud of the way he handled the moment,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He did it back in Chicago this year also. He’s showing you how good he is right now. And it’s positively a performance to build upon. … This could be one that unlocks him.”
Just a few weeks after stepping up at Wrigley Field in a high-scrutiny matchup against Jake Arrieta — the fan favorite he replaced — Darvish retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a solo home run to Alex Verdugo leading off the fourth inning.
He has felt better in some starts as a Cub, he said. “My mechanics, and physically, I wasn’t feeling the best,” he said. “But my mind was pretty good.”
For a team that just lost one of its hottest pitchers in Kyle Hendricks to the injured list, getting Darvish on a role could be critical as the Cubs continue to jockey with the Brewers and Cardinals near the top of the NL Central.
“I think the first step was the thing at home when he overcame the Jake thing,” Maddon said. “Because he talked about it. He doesn’t hold back. So he knew he had to get by certain hurdles.”
With the comeback victory, the Cubs moved into a tie for first.
Darvish hasn’t had a pitching decision since April, but he has a 2.96 ERA in his last four starts.
