Yu Darvish became the first Japanese pitcher to record 2,000 career strike outs at the Major League Baseball (MLB).
The San Diego Padres right-hander struck out Louis Robert Jr on a breaking ball to end the top of the third in a Padres 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, September 22.
Darvish, who represented fourth-placed Japan at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also played for the Japan national team at the World Baseball Classic 2009, earning the win in the final against Korea after blowing a save opportunity.
Darvish was the veteran pitcher on Samurai Japan's roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic and pitched six innings out of the bullpen, contributing to the win.
Darvish was born Faridun Yu Darvishsefat on 16 August 1986 in Habikino, Osaka. His Iranian father, Farsad Darvishsefat, met Yu's mother, Ikuyo, at Eckerd College in the United States.
He played for Tohoku High School in Northern Sendai, a baseball powerhouse. He pitched his first no-hitter on March 26, 2004, against Kumamoto Technical High School.
The Hokkaido-Nippon Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) drafted Darvish in November 2004. In his NPB years, the right-hander earned two Pacific League MVP Awards (2007 and 2009), the Eiji Sawamura Award for the best pitcher (2007), and three Pacific League straight strikeout titles. He led the Fighters to the 2006 Japan Series title. Darvish's NPB career recorded 93 wins and 1,250 strikeouts.
In December 2011, the Texas Rangers of MLB won the bid for Darvish, posting a reported US$51.7 million. In January 2012, they agreed to a six-year contract worth US$60 million with the player.
In his MLB years, Darvish also played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. He earned five All-Star Game trips, was the National League wins leader in 2020, and was the American League strikeout leader in 2013. He combined 109 wins and 2,003 strikeouts.
His combined MLB+NPB effort results in 202 wins and 3,253 strikeouts.
