Libby Davis was always a fan of the national pastime but now she reads everything she can on Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish. And it’s all in Japanese.

Davis, a special contributor for the Dallas Morning News and TCU alumna, helps translate Japanese articles about Darvish into English for a Texas Rangers blog on the Dallas Morning News’ website.

Darvish came over from Japan this past winter after the Texas Rangers invested nearly $108 million in his right arm.

“He is kind of all over the place,” said Davis, a former editor-in-chief for the Daily Skiff.

At first, the Japanese coverage of Darvish was restrained, she said. In Spring Training, the Japanese media was hopeful, but still afraid he would fail.

The hype began to build for Darvish’s first start against the Seattle Mariners and its star player from Japan, Ichiro Suzuki, on April 9, Davis said.

“There was quite a bit of hype mostly because it was a game Japan couldn’t lose,” she said.

No matter the outcome, a Japanese player would be successful, Davis said. In that game, Darvish allowed five runs in the first two innings, but still won the first game of his career. Suzuki went 3-for-5 in the game for the Mariners.

The Japanese media also criticized Darvish early for the lack of control over his wide arsenal of pitches, she said. Although he throws many different pitches, the problem was he could not locate them well.

So far this season, Darvish is 4-0 in five starts with a 2.18 ERA, the fifth-lowest in the American League.

Darvish had a start against another Japanese pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda of the New York Yankees, on April 24. The Rangers won 2-0 with Darvish pitching a shutout into the ninth inning.

Davis said she will continue her position until this winter, however, she could stay longer if the intense media coverage of Darvish continues into next season.