"I have never thought about wanting to pitch in the World Series," he said. "I just don't want to lose until the end. When you lose in a division series or league championship series, everyone is like this."
Darvish looked down and hunched over, as if to convey sadness.
This mentality seems to be working for Darvish, who has been pretty much lights out lately. Since winning the World Series has never been a goal of his—he paid such little attention to it that he just found out his manager had one of the most famous stolen bases in playoff history—he says he doesn't feel pressure to perform well. It's just another day at the office for him. If he had grown up dreaming of pitching in the World Series, it might be a different story, though."I don't like going into the offseason with that feeling, so my goal has always been to win until the end," he said. "So, as a result, winning the World Series has become my goal. But I have stronger feelings about wanting to end the season with a win."
A relatable sentiment to be sure, but there are no unnecessary thoughts. Except for all that stuff about death and the meaninglessness of life, anyway. No one needs that."I was playing with the goal of becoming a champion in Japan," he said. "So when the possibility of being a champion in Japan was right in front of me, it became something special and I started feeling pressure and having unnecessary thoughts."