Yu Darvish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yu Darvish |
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Darvish with the San Diego Padres in 2022
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| San Diego Padres – No. 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: August 16, 1986 Habikino, Osaka, Japan |
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| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB: June 15, 2005, for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB: April 9, 2012, for the Texas Rangers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics (through 2011 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 93–38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 1.99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through July 24, 2025) |
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| Win–loss record | 110–91 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 2,018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Farid Yu Darvish Sefat (ダルビッシュ・セファット・ファリード・有, Darubisshu Sefatto Farīdo Yū, born August 16, 1986), known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ 有), is a professional baseball pitcher from Japan. He plays for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining MLB, he played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's top league, Nippon Professional Baseball. Yu Darvish has also proudly represented Japan in big international tournaments. These include the 2008 Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Many people thought Darvish was the best pitcher in Japan before he came to MLB in 2012. In his first MLB season, he was one of the top rookies. The next year, he led MLB in strikeouts with 277. He also finished second for the Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitcher. He played in the 2017 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After that, he signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs before the 2018 season. He then moved to the Padres before the 2021 season. He was chosen as an All-Star in 2021. In 2023, he signed a new contract to stay with the San Diego Padres.
Darvish holds the record for the most strikeouts by a Japanese-born pitcher in MLB history. He was also the first Japanese pitcher to reach 2,000 MLB strikeouts. He has set several records for striking out batters quickly in his career.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Yu Darvish was born in Habikino, Osaka, Japan. His mother, Ikuyo, is Japanese, and his father, Farsad Darvish Sefat, is Iranian. His father played soccer in college in the United States.
Yu started playing baseball when he was in second grade. He led his team, the Habikino Boys, to the national tournament quarterfinals. They also finished third in an international tournament. Many high schools wanted him to play for them when he was in junior high. He chose to attend Tohoku High School in Northern Sendai. This school was famous for its baseball program and had produced other great players.
High School Baseball Career
Yu Darvish became the main pitcher for Tohoku High School in his first year. He led his team to four national tournaments at Koshien Stadium. These included two spring tournaments and two summer championships.
In the summer of 2003, Darvish led his team to the finals of the 85th National High School Baseball Championship. He pitched a complete game but his team lost.
Darvish gained national attention on March 26, 2004. As a senior, he pitched a no-hitter against Kumamoto Technical High School. This was in the first round of the 76th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament. Even though his team lost in the quarter-finals, Darvish had amazing performances. In his four national tournament appearances, he had a 7–3 record. He also had 87 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched and a 1.47 ERA. For his entire high school career, his ERA was 1.10. He struck out 375 batters in 67 games.
Joining a Professional Team
Even in junior high, Major League teams like the Anaheim Angels and Atlanta Braves were interested in Darvish. As he finished high school, the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets wanted to sign him. However, Darvish wanted to play for a Japanese professional team first.
In the 2004 NPB amateur draft, Darvish was considered one of the best high school pitchers. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters chose him in the first round on November 17. He signed a contract with a base salary of ¥15,000,000 and a signing bonus of ¥100,000,000.
Professional Career in Japan
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2005–2011)
First Seasons (2005-2006)
Darvish made his professional debut on June 15, 2005. He pitched 8 scoreless innings and earned his first professional win. He became one of the few pitchers in NPB history to win their first game as a rookie straight out of high school. On September 18, he threw his first complete game shutout. He finished his first season with a 5–5 record and a 3.53 ERA.
In 2006, Darvish had a great year. He had a 12–5 record with 115 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA. He helped the Fighters win their first Pacific League title since 1981. They also won their first championship since 1961 in the 2006 Japan Series. Darvish was chosen to pitch in important games, including the Asia Series. He won the Asia Series Most Valuable Player award.
Becoming a Star (2007-2008)
In 2007, Darvish became the Fighters' opening day pitcher. He struck out 14 batters in two consecutive starts, which was a rare achievement. He finished the season with a 15–5 record and a 1.82 ERA. He also led the league with 210 strikeouts. He helped the Fighters win their second straight league title.
Darvish pitched in the 2007 Japan Series again. He had a 13-strikeout, complete game win in Game 1. He also pitched well in Game 5, but the Fighters lost the series. After the season, Darvish received his first Eiji Sawamura Award, given to the best pitcher in Japan. He also won his first Most Valuable Player award. He won the Golden Glove and Best Nine awards too.
In December 2007, Darvish played for the Japanese national team in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship. He chose to keep his Japanese citizenship so he could play for the national team in the Olympics. He signed a new contract for ¥200,000,000, becoming the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach that amount.
In 2008, Darvish pitched another complete game shutout on opening day. He had a great season, finishing with a 16–4 record, 1.88 ERA, and 208 strikeouts. He was second in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. He played in the 2008 Summer Olympics for Japan.
Continued Success (2009-2011)
In 2009, Darvish started the Fighters' season opener for the third year in a row. He had some challenges with injuries during the season. However, he was activated for the 2009 Japan Series and helped his team win Game 2. He won his second Most Valuable Player and Best Nine awards. He became one of only three players to win two MVP awards in their first five years in NPB. He signed a contract for ¥330,000,000, making him the youngest player to reach ¥300,000,000.
In 2010, Darvish continued to pitch very well, even though his team struggled. He had a 12–8 record with an excellent 1.78 ERA. He led the league in complete games, strikeouts, and WHIP. There was a lot of talk about him possibly moving to Major League Baseball.
On January 6, 2011, Darvish signed a contract that made him the highest-paid player in Japan. The 2011 season was delayed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Darvish felt it was important to help and donated ¥50,000,000 to the Japanese Red Cross. After a tough start, he had a fantastic season, winning 18 games with a career-low 1.44 ERA. He also led the league in starts, innings, strikeouts, and WHIP. Despite his great performance, he did not win the Sawamura Award that year. After the season, there was more talk about him joining MLB.
Major League Baseball Career
Texas Rangers (2012–2017)
MLB Debut and Early Success (2012-2014)
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Before the 2012 season, Darvish was "posted" to Major League Baseball. This means MLB teams could bid for the right to negotiate with him. The Texas Rangers won the bid with $51.7 million. On January 18, 2012, Darvish signed a $60 million contract for six years with the Rangers.
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Darvish made his first MLB start on April 9, 2012, against the Seattle Mariners. He earned his first MLB win in that game. On April 24, he pitched 81⁄3 shutout innings against the New York Yankees, striking out 10 batters. For his great performance in April, he was named the AL Rookie of the Month. He finished his rookie season with a 16-9 record, a 3.90 ERA, and 221 strikeouts.
On April 2, 2013, Darvish pitched a nearly perfect game against the Houston Astros. He pitched 82⁄3 perfect innings before giving up a single hit. He struck out 14 batters in that game. On May 27, he became one of the fastest pitchers to reach 100 strikeouts by Memorial Day. On August 12, he pitched another no-hitter through 71⁄3 innings. He struck out a career-high 15 batters in that game. He finished the 2013 season with 277 strikeouts in 2092⁄3 innings. He also had a 2.83 ERA, which was fourth best in the American League. He finished second in the voting for the Cy Young Award.
In his first start of the 2014 season, Darvish reached 500 career strikeouts in MLB. He was the fastest pitcher to reach this milestone in terms of innings pitched at the time. On June 11, he threw his first complete-game shutout in MLB. He was selected for the 2014 All-Star Game. He made 22 starts, with a 10-7 record, a 3.06 ERA, and 182 strikeouts.
Injury and Return (2015-2017)
In 2015, Darvish had to miss the entire season due to an elbow injury. He had Tommy John surgery on March 17.
Darvish returned to pitching on May 28, 2016. He pitched five innings and allowed only one run. On August 24, he hit his first career MLB home run. He made 17 starts, with a 7-5 record, a 3.41 ERA, and 132 strikeouts.
In 2017, Darvish was the Rangers' opening day starter. He was often mentioned in trade rumors because he was in the last year of his contract. On July 26, he had a tough game, giving up a career-high 10 earned runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2017)
On July 31, 2017, the Rangers traded Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers. On September 7, Darvish became the fastest starting pitcher to reach 1,000 strikeouts in MLB history. He had a 4–3 record with a 3.44 ERA in nine starts for the Dodgers. Overall in 2017, he made 31 starts with a 10–12 record and 209 strikeouts.
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In the postseason, Darvish pitched well in the NLDS and NLCS. However, in the 2017 World Series, he struggled in his two starts against the Houston Astros. He lost both games and allowed nine runs in just 31⁄3 innings. After the season, Darvish became a free agent. He did not re-sign with the Dodgers. Later, it was revealed that the Astros had used cameras to steal signs during the 2017 postseason. Darvish chose not to blame the sign-stealing for his performance.
Chicago Cubs (2018–2020)
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On February 13, 2018, Darvish signed a six-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. He had a challenging 2018 season due to injuries, pitching in only 8 games. He finished with a 1–3 record and a 4.95 ERA.
In 2019, Darvish had a 6–8 record with a 3.98 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 31 starts. He gave up the most home runs in the National League that year.
In the shorter 2020 season, Darvish had a fantastic year. He finished second in the National League Cy Young vote. He had an 8–3 record with an excellent 2.01 ERA. He led the league in wins and was second in ERA.
San Diego Padres (2021–present)
On December 29, 2020, Darvish was traded to the San Diego Padres. In his first year with the Padres in 2021, Darvish had an 8–11 record with a 4.22 ERA and 199 strikeouts. 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.
In 2022, Darvish reached a major milestone on September 2. He recorded his 3,000th career strikeout, becoming only the second Japanese pitcher to do so. He had a 16–8 record and a 3.10 ERA with 197 strikeouts in 30 starts. Darvish made four starts in the postseason, helping the Padres advance.
On February 9, 2023, Darvish signed a new six-year contract extension with the Padres. On August 14, 2023, he struck out his 1,919th batter, passing Hideo Nomo to become the Japanese-born leader in MLB strikeouts. He finished the 2023 season with an 8–10 record and a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts.
Darvish started the 2024 season as the opening day pitcher for the Padres. He had some time on the injured list due to neck and hamstring issues. On May 20, Darvish recorded his 200th combined career win in both MLB and NPB. On September 16, he extended his MLB record for consecutive games with multiple strikeouts to 280. On September 22, Darvish became the first Japanese-born pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts in MLB. He finished the 2024 season with a 7–3 record and a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts.
In 2025, Darvish missed the start of the season due to elbow inflammation. He returned on July 7.
International Career Highlights
World Baseball Classic Success
Darvish has played for the Japanese national team in several international tournaments.
In the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Darvish was a key pitcher for Japan. He started the opening game against China. He also pitched in the semifinals against the United States. In the championship game against South Korea, he came in to pitch in the ninth inning. He helped Japan win their second straight tournament title. He recorded a career-high 99 mph pitch during the WBC.
After not playing in the WBC in 2013 and 2017, Darvish rejoined Japan's team for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He earned a win in a start against South Korea. Japan won its first WBC title since 2009, with Darvish contributing to their success.
Pitching Style and Skills
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Yu Darvish is a right-handed pitcher. He is known for throwing many different types of pitches. He throws a four-seam fastball that can reach up to 99 mph. He also has a hard slurve (a type of slider) that breaks sharply.
Besides these, Darvish uses many other pitches. These include a two-seam fastball, a cutter, two different curveballs (a "fast curve" and a "slow curve"), a splitter, and sometimes a changeup. Some experts believe Darvish has one of the best collections of quality pitches in all of Major League Baseball. In 2019, he even learned a knuckle curve from a teammate.
It's hard for opposing teams to predict what Darvish will throw because he often changes his pitch sequences. He also sometimes pitches from the "stretch" position even when no one is on base. This helps him keep his pitching motion consistent.
Before 2006, Darvish used a screwball as his main pitch. But after an injury, he stopped using it because it put too much strain on his shoulder. He then worked to develop his splitter to replace it. Over the years, he has also increased the speed of his fastball. In 2019, he used 10 different pitches. In 2020, he even developed a new "supreme pitch," which is a mix of a splitter and a two-seam fastball. Darvish is known for trying out new pitches in games, which helps him learn them quickly.
Personal Life and Community Work
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Yu Darvish has always been involved in helping others. When he was 10, he donated his allowance money to help people affected by an earthquake in his father's home country, Iran. In February 2007, Darvish started the "Yu Darvish Water Fund." This fund helps build and maintain wells and water storage in developing countries. He donates ¥100,000 for each regular season win he gets to this fund.
Darvish is also involved in entertainment and fashion. He has appeared in ads for companies like Seiko and Asahi Breweries. He has also been on the covers of Japanese men's fashion magazines. In 2012, he was named "GQ Man of the Year" in Japan. He is sponsored by the sportswear company Asics.
On July 30, 2015, Darvish announced that his girlfriend, former world-champion wrestler Seiko Yamamoto, gave birth to their son.
In 2018, Darvish bought a home in Evanston, Illinois. He requested permission to build a fence around his property. This caused some discussion with his neighbors because it would affect their view of Lake Michigan.
Images for kids
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Darvish with the San Diego Padres in 2022
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Darvish pitching for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2007
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At a press conference in Sapporo Dome on January 24, 2012, Darvish explained his move to Major League Baseball.
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Darvish during Spring Training with the Rangers in 2012
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Darvish with the Rangers in 2014
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Darvish with the Rangers in 2016
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Darvish with Jonathan Lucroy in 2016
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Darvish with the Dodgers during the 2017 season
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Darvish during Spring Training with the Cubs in 2018
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Darvish with the Padres in 2021
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Darvish representing Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic
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Darvish mid-pitch with the Rangers in 2012
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Darvish and the Padres at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on February 3, 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Yu Darvish para niños
