Prized Japanese pitching prospect Yu Darvish did not set the world on fire in his Major League Baseball debut but shrugged off a rough start to lead Texas to an 11-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
Texas bid in excess of $51 million just to land exclusive negotiating rights with Darvish then handed the 25-year-old a six-year deal worth a reported $60 million.
However, the Rangers' new acquisition did not start out smoothly in front of the expectant home fans, walking two batters and unleashing a wild pitch during a rocky first inning where Seattle scored four times.
After allowing another run in the second, the big right-hander settled and went on to finish with eight hits, four walks and striking out five in 110 pitches over 5 2/3 innings.
The Rangers' (3-1) offense needed little time to warm up, Nelson Cruz hitting a three-run home run in the third to tie the game. Mitch Moreland smacked a two-run shot in the fourth, where Josh Hamilton also homered.
Ian Kinsler added a three-run blast in the eighth inning to bury the Mariners (3-2).
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Amlan Chakraborty/Peter Rutherford)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.