Pitcher Yu Darvish settled down after a four-run first inning in his Major League Baseball debut for the Texas Rangers despite giving up three hits to Japanese countryman Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners.

Darvish allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 2-3 innings and left the game in the sixth inning with Texas leading 8-5. The right-hander walked four and struck out five at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

Darvish got off to a rough start, throwing five straight balls to open the game and allowing the Mariners four runs on four hits in the first inning. He gave up a single by Suzuki and walked Munenori Kawasaki on four pitches with the bases loaded, throwing 42 pitches in the inning.

The Rangers paid a record $51.7 million transfer fee to Darvish’s Japanese club before signing him to a six-year contract. Darvish, 25, went 93-38 with a 1.99 earned run average

in seven seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Rob Gloster at rgloster@bloomberg.net