Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish's rise to leading the majors in strikeouts has not come without a price. That expense has been a high pitch count as the righty is averaging 107.1 pitches per game through seven starts -- the fifth-highest total in the league -- according to MLB.com.
But Darvish, who has 72 Ks over 45 2/3 innings for an average of 14.1 K/9, said he is not concerned about his high counts and he could throw up to 200 pitches in a game if needed. He has exceeded 110 pitches three times this year with a high of 127.
"I have no plans to change my pitching style; I'm not concerned about my pitch counts," Darvish said Thursday. "I don't look for strikeouts or go for strikeouts. I know my pitching coaches are concerned about my pitch counts because of all the strikeouts. But as long as I have four days to rest, I don't care how many pitches I throw."