Yu Darvish didn't stoop to Jack Flaherty's level in Padres' Game 2 win vs Dodgers

Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers was filled with drama. Fernando Tatis Jr. got things started with a first-inning home run, Jurickson Profar robbed Mookie Betts of a round-tripper, Dodgers fans threw debris onto the field, and of course there was the Manny Machado-Jack Flaherty spat that took center stage in the sixth inning.

But Yu Darvish's sterling performance got lost in the shuffle. The Padres starter hadn't stepped onto the mound since Sept. 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But Darvish showed no signs of rust, going seven strong and allowing just one earned run on three hits while striking out three Dodgers batters.

Padres unsung hero Yu Darvish didn't need to hit Shohei Ohtani in order to get him out

The one statistic you won't see on Darvish's line is a hit-by-pitch. Though the right-hander let two get away from his during his previous start, Darvish commanded the strike zone and never bruised one of Los Angeles' hitters.

The same cannot be said, however, for the aforementioned Flaherty. After watching Tatis take him deep during the first inning, Flaherty then gave up a double to him that came 111 mph off the bat. As Tatis dug into the batters' box in the sixth inning, Flaherty came inside with the second pitch of the at-bat, hit Tatis, and watched him head down to first base.

That hit-by-pitch is what prompted the chirping between Machado and Flaherty. Asked after the game what started the on-field feud between the two, Machado said, "When you try to hit our best hitter, get him out. If you can't get him out, don't hit him."

While Flaherty has denied it, it's obvious that Machado believed the Dodgers hit Tatis on purpose. Machado then said, "They got the best player in the game, right? Ohtani. We don't go out there and try to hit Ohtani. We try to get him out."

That's exactly what Darvish did on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. After being a thorn in the Padres' side during Game 1 of the NLDS, Darvish shut down his fellow countryman during Game 2. Shohei Ohtani was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on the game with one of the two punchouts courtesy of the San Diego starter.

There's obviously bad blood between the Padres and Dodgers, and it's bound to overflow into Game 3 in San Diego on Tuesday. Darvish won't be on the bump, but because of the extra days off in between, manager Mike Shildt could turn to the right-hander if needed during a potential Game 5 on Friday. Who knows, maybe Darvish will called upon to pitch to Ohtani.

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