Darvish apologizes after money jab at Tanaka

Darvish said through his interpreter Tuesday that he knew he wasn't going to be ready to pitch in the opener at home against Philadelphia because of neck stiffness. (LM Otero/AP)

According to Yu Darvish, some people take him too seriously.

The Japanese Texas Rangers ace took some heat earlier on Tuesday when he said that the New York Yankees gave Masahiro Tanaka too much money.

Darvish said his comments were taken out of context and he was just joking around.

“I am sorry if anyone took my comment seriously about Masahiro Tanaka at the press conference today,” Darvish said in a statement. “I assumed by the reaction in the room that everyone knew I was joking.”

Darvish added that the recent success of Japanese pitchers helped with Tanaka’s deal.

“I think (Hiroki) Kuroda, (Hisashi) Iwakuma and myself really helped him too how the scouts and the team evaluate Tanaka,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s what I think.”

The Yankees gave Tanaka a seven-year, $155 million deal earlier this winter. As a comparison, Darvish signed a $56-million deal with the Rangers after the club paid of $51.7 million in posting fees before the 2012 season.

The investment has paid off for the Rangers as Darvish finished second in Cy Young voting during the 2013 season and led the majors in strikeouts.

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