Product Code Database
born August 16, 1986, more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ 有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs, and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He also pitched for Japan in several international tournaments, including the 2008 Olympics, 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and 2023 WBC.
Darvish was considered by many to be the best pitcher in Japan prior to his arrival in MLB in 2012. In his first MLB season, Darvish finished third in the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year balloting. The next season, he finished second in the AL Cy Young Award vote, led MLB in with 277, and finishing fourth in the AL in earned run average (ERA) at 2.83. He pitched in the 2017 World Series for the Dodgers, where his underwhelming performance was later attributed to being a victim of the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal. He signed a six-year contract with the Cubs before the 2018 season and was then traded to the Padres before the 2021 season. He was named an All-Star in 2021. He signed a six-year extension with San Diego in 2023.
Darvish has the most strikeouts by a Japanese-born pitcher in MLB history and was the first Japanese pitcher to 2,000 MLB strikeouts. He has set several career records for striking out batters in relatively few innings.
Darvish began playing baseball in second grade and led his team to the quarterfinals of the national tournament as well as a Bronze medal in the international tournament as a member of the Habikino Boys. He was scouted by over 50 high schools while in Middle school. He opted to attend in Northern Sendai, a baseball powerhouse that produced players such as former Seattle Mariners and Yokohama BayStars closer Kazuhiro Sasaki and former BayStars and Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Takashi Saito.
Darvish led his team to the finals of the 85th National High School Baseball Championship in the summer of 2003 but gave up four runs to Joso Gakuin High School, the Ibaraki champions, in a complete game loss.
Darvish attracted national attention when he pitched a no-hitter against Kumamoto Technical High School in the first round of the 76th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament as a senior on March 26, 2004. The team lost in the quarter-finals despite stellar outings by Darvish and sidearmer Kenji Makabe (currently with Honda industrial league team). Darvish pitched 12 games and put up a 7–3 record with 87 in 92 innings pitched and a 1.47 ERA in his four national tournament appearances, and posted a 1.10 ERA for his high school career, striking out 375 in innings (67 appearances).
Darvish was considered one of the best high school pitchers in the 2004 NPB amateur draft along with Yokohama Senior High School right-hander Hideaki Wakui (later picked by the Seibu Lions) and Akita Municipal Akita Commercial High School right-hander Tsuyoshi Sato (Hiroshima Toyo Carp). While the Fighters, Carp, Chunichi Dragons, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, and Orix BlueWave all considered selecting Darvish with their first-round pick in the final months, the Fighters were one of the few teams that chose not to forgo the first round in exchange for signing a college or industrial league player prior to the draft. This enabled them to land Darvish with their first-round pick in November 17 draft, signing him to a base salary of , a signing bonus of , and additional performance-based incentives (the equivalent of what a first-round college or industrial league player would normally receive) on December 17.
Darvish made his professional debut later that season, taking the mound in an interleague game against the Carp on June 15. He pitched 8 scoreless innings before giving up back-to-back solo in the ninth. He was then removed from the game but earned the win, becoming the 12th pitcher in NPB history to earn a win in one's professional debut as a rookie straight out of high school. He recorded his first complete game win on August 6 against the Lions and his first complete game shutout on September 18, holding the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to just two hits and becoming the 14th pitcher in NPB history to throw a complete-game shutout as a rookie out of high school. He finished the season with a 5–5 record in 14 starts, throwing innings with an ERA of 3.53.
Darvish went on to post a 15–5 record with a 1.82 ERA (falling just 0.003 points short of the league lead, which went to Chiba Lotte Marines Left-handedness Yoshihisa Naruse) for the year, limiting hitters to a .174 batting average against and leading the league with 210 strikeouts. He led the Fighters to their second consecutive league title, winning both of his starts in the second round of the Climax Series (playoffs) against the Marines.
Darvish took the mound in game 1 of the Japan Series that followed on October 27 against the Dragons for the second straight year, pitching a 13-strikeout, complete game win in an intense pitchers' duel with then-Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami and becoming the third pitcher in Japan Series history to strike out 13 or more batters in a single game. With the Fighters down 3–1 and facing elimination, Darvish started game 5 on November 1 and held the Dragons to one run over seven innings while striking out 11. However, the Fighters had no answer for opposing right-hander Daisuke Yamai and closer Hitoki Iwase, failing to get a single man on base and allowing the first perfect game in Japan Series history. (However, the game was not an official perfect game according to NPB regulations, which state that a perfect game must be thrown by a single pitcher.) The Dragons won the game 1–0, charging Darvish with the loss and becoming Japan Series champions. The 24 strikeouts that Darvish totaled in his two starts were the second-highest by any single pitcher in series history (and the highest in a series that went only five games).
Darvish was presented with both his first career Eiji Sawamura Award (being the first to meet or exceed guidelines for the award in all seven categories in 14 years) and his first Most Valuable Player award following the season. He also won the Golden Glove and Best Nine awards that year.
Darvish made his national team debut in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship (which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympics) against Chinese Taipei on December 3, 2007. Because Japanese law requires that a person holding dual citizenship choose a single nationality before their twenty-second birthday, Darvish had chosen to retain his Japanese citizenship so that he could play for the national team in the Olympics.
On December 22, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon-Ham Fighters for plus payment at piece rates, up from 2006. At 21 years old, Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach the mark.
While he did not pitch the way he had hoped in the Olympics, Darvish promptly put up a perfect 5–0 record with a 1.29 ERA and two complete games in the five starts upon returning to the Fighters, leading them to a playoff berth in a heated race against the Marines. While the Fighters failed to make the Japan Series, Darvish took the mound in two playoff games, giving up one run in a complete game win in one and pitching a complete-game shutout in another. Although he lost out to Iwakuma (who put up an astonishing 21–4 record) in wins, he finished second in all three Triple Crown categories, finishing the season with a 16–4 record, 1.88 ERA and 208 strikeouts. (It was his second straight year putting up an ERA under 2.00, throwing more than 200 innings, and striking out over 200 hitters despite missing time due to the Olympics.) Regardless, the Sawamura Award was presented to Iwakuma, and Darvish became just the second pitcher to clear the guidelines in all seven categories to not win the award (Suguru Egawa was the first in 1982).
Darvish took the mound in game 1 of the first round of the Climax Series against the Orix Buffaloes on October 11, allowing nine hits but holding the team to one run while striking out 14 in a 4–1 complete game win. He started game 2 of the second round against the Saitama Seibu Lions on October 18 and pitched a complete-game shutout in a 5–0 win, but the Fighters lost the series 4–2 and fell short of their third straight appearance in the Japan Series.
On December 1, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for plus payment at piece rates, up from 2007.
On August 22, Darvish was taken of the active roster for the first time in his career due to injury. The Fighters classified it as "shoulder fatigue", and the deactivation came after a career-worst start against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, in which he went eight innings, but gave up six earned runs in a losing effort. He was reactivated on September 13, but in his second start back a week later against the Orix Buffaloes, Darvish gave up a career-high seven walks in five innings, and two runs. Three days later he was deactivated again due to discomfort in his shoulder and a sore back.
Darvish was activated again just in time for the 2009 Japan Series against the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants, and he pitched game 2 on November 1. He went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, and also striking out 7 Giants. He became the winning pitcher, and the team won 4–2. The Yomiuri Giants would go on and win the championship series 4 games to 1. After the Japan Series, It was revealed that Yu had a stress fracture of the right-hand forefinger. Darvish said he first experienced pain after practice on October 28 but kept it to himself. Also, he was unable to fully use the lower part of his body due to hip pains.
Darvish was presented with his second Most Valuable Player and Best Nine awards at the end of the season. He became the third player to have won 2 MVP awards in their first five years in the NPB, joining Kazuhisa Inao and Ichiro Suzuki. However, he lost out on his second Sawamura Award to Saitama Seibu Lions ace Hideaki Wakui.
On December 9, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon-Ham Fighters for , up from 2009. At 23, Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach the mark, along with being the highest-paid pitcher in the Pacific League presently.
Darvish's 2010 season also was noticeable because speculation increased about his potential move (or Posting system) to Major League Baseball. Darvish was interviewed by The Associated Press where he announced his plans to review his options at the end of the season. He noted, "Right now, I'm just focused on helping my team win this season ... Once the season is over, I'll consider my future." The Associated Press noted that both his exposure to international play during the 2009 World Baseball Classic and recurring injuries both led him to consider leaving Japan. In addition to back problems he also missed a start in June with a sore right knee.
Despite the injuries and potential distractions, Darvish pitched well down the stretch. His last three starts were all complete games and he struck out 35 hitters in those 27 innings. Darvish finished the season with only a 12–8 record, but with a 1.78 ERA. He led the league with 10 complete games, 222 strikeouts, and a 1.01 WHIP. This was Darvish's fourth consecutive sub-2.00 ERA.
On October 18, 2010, Darvish posted on his blog that he would be returning to the Fighters for the 2011 season.
The 2011 Nippon Professional Baseball season was delayed by the Tohoku earthquake. Controversy emerged over when baseball should resume. Commissioner Ryozo Kato was criticized for comparing the resumption to the return of Major League Baseball ten days after the September 11 attacks. Darvish was among the players who felt that it was not appropriate to quickly return to baseball, saying, "I am a baseball player and a human being as well. I cannot think about baseball alone as I normally do." Darvish took part in efforts to raise funds for the relief efforts and personally donated (about ) to the Japanese Red Cross.
Eventually, the teams agreed to play the full 144-game schedule, but the start of the season would be pushed back several weeks. The season began on April 12, 2011, and Darvish started against the Saitama Seibu Lions. He struggled, allowing seven runs in seven innings and taking the loss.
This poor start would not reflect on his overall performance. After that opening game, he would not allow more than three runs in any of his starts. Darvish would win his next eight starts and thirteen of his next fourteen decisions. Darvish would finish with his strongest all-around season, winning 18 games and featuring a career-low 1.44 ERA. He also led the league with 28 starts, 232 innings, 276 strikeouts, and a 0.82 WHIP. He also featured remarkable control, walking only 36 batters.
Despite his accomplishments, Darvish was not recognized as the best pitcher in Japan's honor, the Sawamura Award. Three of the five-member committee voted to recognize Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles right-hander Masahiro Tanaka. Selection committee chief Masayuki Dobashi explained, "ERA is the best stat to evaluate pitchers...Tanaka's ERA was a little better than that of Darvish. Tanaka also had more complete games than Darvish." Pitchers must qualify for the award by meeting seven criteria: 15 wins, a 2.50 ERA, 200 innings pitched, 10 complete games, 150 strikeouts, 25 appearances and a .600 winning percentage. Both Tanaka and Darvish met all the criteria. Tanaka noted, "I only had better numbers than him (Darvish)... As a pitcher, I'm nowhere near his caliber."
The Nippon-Ham Fighters were eliminated in the first round of the Pacific League playoffs, losing both games to the Saitama Seibu Lions. Darvish started game one of the series, going seven innings and allowing only one run on four hits while striking out nine. After Darvish departed, Seibu scored one run in the 9th inning to send the game to extra innings and added three more to win the game in the 11th inning.
After being eliminated, speculation again increased about Darvish being posted to Major League Baseball. His pending divorce allegedly complicated this situation. Speculation centered on his wife's potential claims to a share of a new contract with an American team.
Darvish's first start in the Majors came on April 9 against the Seattle Mariners in Texas. His first MLB strikeout was of Dustin Ackley on a 2–2 80 mph curveball; the first MLB hit that he allowed was a single into left field by Ichiro Suzuki on a 2–2 96 mph fastball. He threw for 5 innings, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks, and striking out five, gaining his first MLB win in the process. When Alexi Ogando came to relieve him in the 6th, Darvish got a standing ovation from the crowd at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Darvish's first start away from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington came on April 14 against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. He pitched for 5 innings, allowing 9 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs (one of which was unearned), while collecting 4 strikeouts. Despite the Rangers winning the game, it was a no-decision for Darvish. Instead, teammate Robbie Ross picked up the win.
On April 24, in a game against the New York Yankees, Darvish pitched 8 shutout innings, collecting 10 strikeouts, while allowing seven hits and two walks. He gave up a hit to Nick Swisher with one out in the 9th. Joe Nathan, the Rangers' closer, relieved him and induced a ground ball double play to get the save and secure the third win for Darvish. As Nathan came in, Darvish received a deafening ovation from the crowd. This game also marked the seventh time in MLB history that the two starting pitchers were both Japanese, with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound for the Yankees. The game was also televised in Japan.
On April 30, Darvish gave up his first MLB home run to Edwin Encarnación of the Toronto Blue Jays, in a game that Texas won 4–1. Darvish improved to 4–0, striking out nine and giving up only one run.
For his performances in April, Darvish was named the AL Rookie of the Month. Darvish went 4–0 with a 2.18 ERA and 33 strikeouts. His first loss didn't come until May 6, against the Cleveland Indians.
On June 20, in an interleague game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Darvish got his first career MLB hit. In his first at-bat, he hit a bat-shattering single into shallow right field. He did not get to run the bases however, as Ian Kinsler hit a line shot to the second baseman, and Darvish was tagged off of the bag to complete the double play. He went 1-for-3 for the game.
On July 5, the MLB announced that Yu Darvish for the American League and David Freese for the National League were the final two players to make the 2012 MLB All-Star Game rosters. Darvish had 10 wins and five losses with a 3.59 ERA when MLB announced him as an All-Star. However, Darvish didn't get a chance to pitch in the game, watching from the dugout as his team lost 8–0.
Darvish made 29 starts during his rookie season, compiling a 16-9 record to go along with a 3.90 earned run average and 221 strikeouts in innings pitched.
Darvish was selected to start for the Rangers in the first ever AL Wild Card Game on October 5 against the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched innings, striking out seven batters, but also conceded five hits and three runs (two earned), as the Rangers lost 5-1.
On July 6, Darvish was selected to play in the 2014 All-Star Game. He entered the game in the third inning and retired all three batters faced, earning a hold.
On August 13, Darvish was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to elbow inflammation, retroactive to August 10. He was eventually shut down for the rest of the season on September 6.
Darvish made 22 starts throughout the season, compiling a 10-7 record while recording a 3.06 earned run average and 182 strikeouts across innings pitched.
Darvish made 17 starts throughout the season, posting a 7-5 record while compiling a 3.41 earned run average and 132 strikeouts in innings pitched.
Darvish started Game 2 of the 2016 ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays, where he gave up five hits and five earned runs across five innings, as the Rangers lost 5-3 on their way to getting swept.
Throughout the entire 2017 season, Darvish was subject to trade rumors, as he was in the final year of his contract and the Rangers fell further from playoff contention. On July 23, the Rangers stated that Darvish would not be available for trade. However, two days later, the Rangers said that the team would be open to trading Darvish for the "right deal." On July 26, Darvish pitched innings, giving up a career-high 10 earned runs, the most ever by a Japanese pitcher in MLB history.
After the season, Darvish became a free agent for the first time in his career, and he chose not to re-sign with the Dodgers as there was much fan ire against him for his disappointing World Series outings that many felt had cost the Dodgers the title.
With the Astros being disciplined on January 13, 2020 for using cameras to Sign stealing during the 2017 MLB postseason, Darvish refused to blame sign stealing for his poor starts and instead suggested that the 2017 Astros batters were talented, and he humorously posted on Twitter that he would wear a "Yu Garbage" jersey if the Dodgers held a championship parade.
Darvish started Game 2 of the 2020 NL Wild Card Series against the Miami Marlins. He pitched innings, striking out six batters and giving up the only two runs of the game in a 2-0 loss, as the Cubs were swept, two games to none.
He was also named to his fifth All-Star team. In June, he became the first pitcher in MLB to reach 1,500 strikeouts in fewer than 200 starts.
Darvish made four starts during the postseason. In Game 1 of the 2022 NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets, he pitched seven innings and gave up only one earned run, earning the win, as the Padres won the game 7-1. Darvish started and earned the win in Game 2 of the 2022 NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out seven batters and only allowing three earned runs in a 5-3 victory.
Darvish also made two starts in the 2022 NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 1, he struck out seven batters across seven innings, but also gave up the only two runs of the game in a 2-0 loss. He also started Game 5, where he pitched six innings, taking a no-decision as the Padres lost 4-3, losing the series 4-1.
On April 17, Darvish was placed on the 15-day injured list due to neck tightness. He returned on May 1, pitching five scoreless innings in a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
On May 20, Darvish recorded his 200th combined career win in both MLB (107) and NPB (93) after the Padres' 9–1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, with only Hiroki Kuroda (203) and Hideo Nomo (201) ahead of him. He tied Kuroda on September 27, his final start of the regular season.
Darvish was placed on the 15-day injured list again on June 1, retroactive to May 30, due to hamstring tightness. He returned on September 4, pitching innings in a 6-5 extra inning victory over the Detroit Tigers.
On September 16, Darvish extended his MLB record of consecutive games with multiple strikeouts to 280, the longest streak by any player at any point in their career since the modern era began in 1901. On September 22, Darvish became the first Japanese-born pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts in MLB. He made 16 starts throughout the season, posting a 7–3 record along with a 3.31 ERA and 78 strikeouts in innings pitched.
Darvish earned the win in Game 2 of the 2024 NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching seven innings and only allowing one earned run in a 10–2 victory. Darvish also started the decisive Game 5. Despite pitching well, he gave up the only two runs of the game in innings, as the Padres lost the series, 3 games to 2.
Darvish came on in relief in the bottom of the ninth inning of the championship game against South Korea, with Japan leading 3–2. He struck out his first batter, walked the next two, struck out his next, and then gave up a tying two-out single before finishing the inning with another strikeout. However, Japan scored two runs in the top of the tenth inning to regain a 5–3 lead, and after giving up a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning, Darvish retired the next three batters (striking out two of them) to clinch Japan's second consecutive tournament title. In the WBC, he was 2–1 with one blown save, a 2.08 ERA, and 20 strikeouts in 13 innings. He recorded a career-high 99 mph when he worked in relief at the WBC.
Advance scouting on Darvish is made difficult by his tendency to change his most frequent pitch sequences over time.
While Darvish uses both the set, or "stretch" position and the windup, he has been noted for pitching exclusively from the stretch at times, even when there are not runners on base. While pitching from the windup is generally thought to add velocity to pitches, the set position allows pitchers more control over baserunners. Darvish often uses the set position to keep his delivery in sync and consistent.
Prior to the 2006 season, Darvish's "go-to" pitch was a screwball, and he tends to rely more on his off-speed pitches than his fastball. After injuring his shoulder in an exhibition game start against the 2006 World Baseball Classic Japanese national team in February 2006, because of the strain the screwball had gradually been putting on his shoulder, he took the pitch out of his in-game repertoire and worked to develop his splitter until it became an equally effective pitch that would replace the screwball. He also increased his fastball velocity for several years in MLB, with his average velocity rising from 92.7 miles per hour in 2012 to 95.9 miles per hour in 2020.
In 2019 alone, Darvish used 10 different pitches: a cutter with two different movements, both four seam and two seam fastballs, a slider, a splitter, normal and slow curveballs, a knuckle curve, and a changeup. In 2020, he revealed on Twitter that he learned a "supreme pitch," which is a hybrid between a splitter and a two-seam fastball. This pitch can reach 93 mph. To add new pitches to his arsenal, Darvish will often use a new pitch in game with little knowledge beforehand, forcing him to adapt to it quickly.
Darvish made his first donation at the age of 10 when his father’s native Iran suffered an earthquake, leading Darvish to donate his allowance money to the cause. Darvish established a humanitarian fund dedicated to the construction, installation, and maintenance of wells, well pumps, and rainwater storage facilities in developing countries called the "Yu Darvish Water Fund" in February 2007. He announced plans to contribute to the fund by donating each time he notches a regular season win. The fund is managed by the Japan Water Forum.
An entertainment company, Avex manages Darvish's non-baseball rights worldwide, and he has appeared in ads for many companies, including Seiko, Asahi Breweries, and Pocari Sweat. Darvish has also appeared on the covers of Japanese men's fashion magazines, such as GQ, Men's Non-No, and Gainer. Darvish was selected as the "GQ Man of the Year" in Japan in the February 2012 issue. Darvish is sponsored by Japanese sportswear supplier Asics.
On July 30, 2015, Darvish announced that his girlfriend, former world-champion wrestler Seiko Yamamoto, gave birth to their son on July 29. "Rangers wish Yu Darvish well after pitcher welcomes new baby" by Michael Florek Dallas News (July 2015) August 3, 2017 "Yu Darvish, Rangers highly anticipating a return to action" by Jerry Crasnick (February 22, 2016) ESPN August 3, 2017
In 2018, Darvish purchased a $4.55 million home in Evanston, Illinois. He requested permission to construct a six-foot high fence around the property and to acquire adjacent land owned by the city, which caused some controversy among his neighbors, as the fence would require a zoning variance and would obstruct neighborhood views of Lake Michigan. After the fence was constructed, Darvish's neighbors filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on March 29, 2019, asking a judge to rule that the Darvishes' fence obstructed their view of the lake, violating an easement and a verbal agreement.
See also
External links
Categories: Www.darvish-yu.jp Official Website, 1986 Births, Living People, American League All-stars, American League Strikeout Champions, Baseball People From Osaka Prefecture, Baseball Players At The 2008 Summer Olympics, Chicago Cubs Players, El Paso Chihuahuas Players, Fort Wayne Tincaps Players, Frisco Roughriders Players, Hokkaido Nippon-ham Fighters Players, Japanese Expatriate Baseball Players In The United States, Japanese Youtubers, Japanese People Of Iranian Descent, Los Angeles Dodgers Players, Major League Baseball Pitchers, Major League Baseball Players From Japan, 21st-century Japanese Sportsmen, National League Wins Champions, Nippon Professional Baseball Pitchers, Nippon Professional Baseball Mvp Award Winners, Olympic Baseball Players For Japan, People From Habikino, Round Rock Express Players, San Diego Padres Players, Sportspeople Of Iranian Descent, Texas Rangers Players, 2009 World Baseball Classic Players, 2023 World Baseball Classic Players, World Baseball Classic Players Of Japan
|
|
