Padres' Yu Darvish On Track to Become Best Japanese-Born MLB Pitcher Ever

Darvish pitched another strong start on Sunday.

Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

In his fourth start since his return from the restricted list, San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish struck out nine to surpass the 2,000 career strikeout mark. Darvish has now struck out 2,003 in his 12-year MLB career.

In Sunday's start, Darvish pitched 6.1 innings, allowing three hits, two home runs, two earned runs, and no walks while striking out the nine batters as the Padres earned a 4-2 win in their series finale against the Chicago White Sox. Darvish did not have a perfect outing, but he did pitch into the seventh inning for the first time since his return, tied his season-high of nine strikeouts, and reached a strikeout milestone no Japanese-born MLB pitcher has ever achieved.

“Very grateful,” Darvish said after crossing 2,000 strikeouts, via Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It just kind of tells you how long I’ve been able to stay in the game. … That doesn’t happen by accident. I’m just really grateful for all the help and the support that I have gotten along the way.”

Prior to joining signing with the Texas Rangers in 2012, Darvish also struck out 1,250 in Nippon Professional Baseball. He has a total of 3,253 strikeouts across both leagues.

Darvish is also within reach of another milestone — career wins by a Japanese-born pitcher. Darvish has a total of 202 combined career wins across MLB and NPB, bringing him one shy of Hiroki Kuroda.

Kuroda, who pitched in NPB and MLB from 1997-2016, finished with 203 career wins across both leagues. If Darvish earns two more career wins, he will have yet another claim to the title of best Japanese-born pitcher ever.

Kuroda was a five-time MLB All-Star before coming to MLB, where he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. He finished his seven-year MLB career with a 79-79 record with a 3.45 ERA and 986 strikeouts. Darvish has had a much lengthier career in MLB, and appears ready to claim the title.

Overall this season, Darvish has a 6-3 record with a 3.18 ERA and 74 strikeouts. Since returning this month, Darvish has pitched a combined 20 innings with a 2-0 record, 3.15 ERA and 21 strikeouts. With the postseason approaching and Darvish pitching well, the Padres starting rotation is in a great place heading into October.

The Padres signed Darvish to a six-year, $108 million contract extension in Feb. 2023, keeping him in San Diego past his 42nd birthday.