Yu Darvish, Starting Pitcher, San Diego Padres

Date of Birth: 8/16/1986
Birthplace: Habikimo, Japan

Yu Darvish, starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres, was a top player in Japan from 2005 through 2011. He started playing baseball as a child and he was already an accomplished player by the time he was in junior high school. He was a star player in high school and was wanted by US teams but he opted to play in Japan.

As a pitcher in Japan, Darvish won many awards, including the 2006 Asia Series MVP. He was the Pacific League's MVP in 2007 and 2009 and he won Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008. He led the league in ERA in 2009 and 2010 and in strikeouts in 2007, 2010, and 2011.

In January, 2012, Darvish signed a six-year, $60 million contract with the Texas Rangers. In his first season with the team, he had a 16-9 win-loss record, 221 strikeouts to 89 walks, and a 3.90 ERA. He led the American League in strikeouts in 2013 with 277. He finished the season with a 13-9 record and a 2.83 ERA. In 2014, he had a 10-7 record, 182 strikeouts to 49 walks, and a 3.06 ERA in 144.1 innings in 22 games.

In March, 2015, it was decided that Darvish would have Tommy John surgery. As a result, he missed the entire 2015 season.

Darvish spent part of the 2016 season on the DL. He finished the season with a 3.41 ERA, 7 wins to 5 losses, and 132 strikeouts to 31 walks in 100.1 innings in 17 games. In the postseason, he pitched 5.0 innings in one game and he gave up 5 hits and 5 runs.

The Rangers traded Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 10 wins and 12 losses, 209 strikeouts to 58 walks, and a 3.86 ERA in 22 games with the Rangers and 9 games with the Dodgers. In the postseason, he pitched 14.2 innings in 4 games and he gave up 17 hits, including 4 home runs, and 11 runs. He had two wins and two losses and he struck out 14 batters and walked 3.

Darvish became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed with the Chicago Cubs on February 13, 2018. He spent time on the DL in 2018 with right triceps tendonitis. He played in just 8 games with the Cubs, finishing the season with 1 win and 3 losses, 49 strikeouts to 21 walks, and a 4.95 ERA in 40.0 innings. He didn't pitch in the postseason.

Darvish finished the 2019 season with 6 wins and 8 losses, 229 strikeouts to 56 walks, and a 3.98 ERA in 178.2 innings in 31 games.

Darvish pitched well in the shortened 2020 season. He finished the season with 8 wins and 3 losses, 93 strikeouts to 14 walks, and a 2.01 ERA in 76.0 innings in 12 games. In the postseason, he had a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings in 1 game.

Darvish was traded to the Padres on December 29, 2020. He finished the 2021 season with 8 wins and 11 losses, 199 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a 4.22 ERA in 166.1 innings in 30 games.

Career pitching statistics for Darvish through 2021 include:

• 212 games played
• 1,293.1 innings pitched
• 79-67 win-loss record
• 1,591 strikeouts to 442 walks
• 3.56 ERA

Charitable Work

In February, 2007, Darvish started the Yu Darvish Water Fund to aid developing countries. He donates 100,000 yen to the fund for each win he has.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Yu Darvish
ESPN - Yu Darvish