Yu Darvish

Yu Darvish launched the first homer of his career

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:03 p.m. ET

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Kerouac Smith

It wasn't exactly a Bartolo Colon wait, but Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish hit the first home run of his career in a 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

It was a pretty sweet shot, too, rocketing at 107 mph over the centerfield wall, some 410 feet in total.

The Japanese hurler saw it coming, telling reporters that his recovery from Tommy John surgery has him feeling more powerful -- something he noticed while taking batting practice to prep for this interleague series.

"I was thinking, 'Am I getting bigger and stronger? Maybe I could hit one or two.' I got one," said Darvish.

While Colon famously hit his first career homer earlier this season at the age of 42, Darvish did it in just his 14th at-bat as a major leaguer. It took 19 seasons for Colon to hit his.

It was also the first by a Rangers pitcher since Bobby Witt became the first American League pitcher to homer after interleague play began in 1997.

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