Yu Darvish will start Game 7 of the World Series to face his nemisis Yuli Gurriel

Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish seeks redemption

JAPANESE PITCHER Yu Darvish of the L.A. Dodgers will take to the mound tonight (Nov. 1), in the biggest game of his life.

UPDATE: Darvish was taken out of the game after an inning and a third after giving up five runs. Houston Astros win, 6-1, four games to three.

When Yuli Gurriel stepped up to the plate Tuesday (Oct. 31) at Dodger Stadium in Game 6 of the World Series, L.A. fans rained down a chorus of boos. Expect more of the same tonight from fans of the Los Angeles team. The L.A. region has one of the largest Asian/American populations in the country.

That fan reaction was in stark contrast to Houston Astros fans who greeted the Astros' first baseman with a standing ovation despite Gurriel's racist gesture towards Dodger's pitcher Yu Darvish in Game 4.

After hitting a homerun off the Japanese pitcher, Gurriel returned to the dugout, pulled his eyes back and called Darvish "Chinito" a disparaging remark for "Little China man." His gesture was caught by the cameras and that set off a firestorm on social media as fans, (not just Asians) criticized the racist act.

In an ironic twist that only serves to hype the drama for Game 7, Darvish will return to the mound in a chance to redeem his lackluster performance in Game 4 when he lasted only 49 pitches before being yanked.

He will - off course - face Gurriel again in a moment of high drama, as if the crucial Game 7 in one of the most interesting World Series needed it. 

Darkish admitted Gurriel's slant-eye gesture was offensive, but he downplayed the incident saying instead that he hoped everyone can use the moment to learn something.

Gurriel apologized and wanted to do so face-to-face with Darvish, but the Japanese pitcher turned down the encounter and just wanted to move on.

MLB suspended Gurriel for five games at the start of the 2018 season avoiding any punishment during the World Series.

That delayed punishment didn't sit well with some Asian/American civil rights advocates.

“By postponing the suspension until next year, MLB also makes it clear that the game of baseball, and the World Series itself, are more important than applying its disciplinary action immediately. This is a choice of priorities by MLB in delaying application of punishment,” said the Japanese American Citizens League.

The Japanese American National Museum agreed.

“We believe that allowing Gurriel to continue to play in the World Series, rather than making his suspension immediate, does not send a strong enough message about the unacceptable nature of his actions,” it said. “While this incident will serve as an opportunity to further important discussions about race and racism in our country, Gurriel’s actions must not be construed as anything other than reprehensible.”

“As Asian/American civil rights organizations, we were shocked to see the slanted eye gesture that Houston Astro Yuli Gurriel directed at Los Angeles Dodger Yu Darvish during the World Series on Friday night," said the Asian American Advancing Justice organization in a statement. 

"Although Darvish found Gurriel’s actions offensive, Darvish’s response to this incident was gracious and urged unity," the legal advocates' organization continued. "But when Gurriel pulled back his eyes, he disrespected not only Darvish but millions of Asian/Americans, for whom that is perhaps the most commonly experienced racist gesture. Ironically, Gurriel and Darvish represent teams from two of the most diverse cities in the country, both with significant Asian American populations." 

(ASAM NEWS contributed to this report.)
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