Yu Darvish overcame a shaky first two innings Sunday to tie his career high with 14 strikeouts in the Texas Rangers' 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Darvish (5-1), who leads the majors with 72 punchouts, wasn't involved in the decision, missing out on his sixth win. He left the game after pitching the seventh inning with the score tied at three.
Darvish, who threw 127 pitches on the afternoon, allowed a two-run home run to David Ortiz in the opening frame and a solo shot to David Ross in the second, but settled down the rest of the way.
His final line read an impressive three earned runs on four hits, including the two homers, and two walks. Darvish himself was pleased with the way he rebounded from a rough start.
"I didn't have good command of my fastball," Darvish said. "But the first inning isn't everything; it's how you do over your entire outing."
"Even after the home run, we're still only down by three runs. I managed to keep my head in the game and not let it distract me. I don't worry too much, even if teams get to me early."
Texas, Boston and the St. Louis Cardinals are tied for the best record in the majors at 20-11.