Padres News: Yu Darvish Passes All-Time MLB and NPB Legend on Strikeouts List

One of the greatest of his generation.

Padres starter Yu Darvish made history in his most recent start after surpassing a legend and fellow countryman on the all-time punchout leaderboard 

To close out the sixth inning against the Orioles, Darvish elevated a 95-mile-an-hour heater to catch Baltimore infielder Ramón Urías swinging, surpassing Hideo Nomo as the greatest Japanese-born strikeout artist in MLB history with the pitch. 

Yu Darvish has passed Hideo Nomo to become the all-time leader in strikeouts among Japanese-born pitchers! pic.twitter.com/1bYE0p0BmT

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 15, 2023

Nomo was instrumental in the process to bring Japanese talent to MLB after his successful start with the Dodgers pioneered a new path for high scale international players to come across the pond and play in the states. 

Slugger Hideki Matsui, eventual MVP Ichiro Suzuki and gyro-ball pioneer Daisuke Matsuzaka all came after Nomo's initial stardom opened the door for such players to be great on American soil. 

Darvish was one of these names as he starred for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to begin his pro career. 

First popping up on the international stage for Japan's 2008 Olympic team and their 2009 World Baseball Classic roster, Darvish signed with the Texas Rangers and was a 3-time All Star in the Lone Star State. 

Traded to the Dodgers, Darvish guided the team to their first World Series before a lackluster performance partly contributed to LA's loss in seven games to the infamous 2017 Astros. 

After he signed with the Cubs in 2018, Darvish had some down seasons before returning to form in 2020 as the NL's win leader. 

The man with all the pitches in the book was then traded ahead of the 2021 season to San Diego and surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts in his professional career with the franchise last season. 

Signing an extension with the franchise this offseason, Darvish isn't going anywhere any time soon and Padres fans can look forward to the Japanese legend striking more batters out for the long run.