Yu Darvish

Early life

Darvish was born Farid Yu Darvish Sefat (ダルビッシュ・セファット・ファリード・有) in Habikino, Osaka, to a Japanese mother, Ikuyo, and Iranian father, Farsad Darvish Sefat. In 1977, Darvish’s father left Iran to attend Berkshire School in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, where he played soccer and raced competitive motocross. Sefat later played soccer at Florida State University and met Ikuyo at Eckerd College.

Darvish began playing baseball in second grade and led his team to the quarterfinals of the national tournament as well as a third-place finish in the international tournament as a member of the Habikino Boys. He was scouted by over 50 high schools while in junior high. He opted to attend Tohoku High School in Northern Sendai, a baseball powerhouse that produced players such as former Seattle Mariners and Yokohama BayStars closer Kazuhiro Sasaki and former BayStars and Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito.

High school career

Darvish became Tohoku's ace pitcher by the fall of his first year (the equivalent of tenth grade in the United States) and led his team to four straight appearances in national tournaments held at Koshien Stadium in his junior and senior years, twice in the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament held in the spring and twice in the National High School Baseball Championship in the summer.

Darvish led his team to the finals of the 85th National High School Baseball Championship in the summer of 2003 but gave up four runs to Joso Gakuin High School, the Ibaraki champions, in a complete game loss.

Darvish attracted national attention when he pitched a no-hitter against Kumamoto Technical High School in the first round of the 76th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament as a senior on March 26, 2004. The team lost in the quarter-finals despite stellar outings by Darvish and sidearmer Kenji Makabe (formerly with Honda Motor Company's industrial league team). Darvish pitched 12 games and put up a 7–3 record with 87 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched and a 1.47 ERA in his four national tournament appearances, and posted a 1.10 ERA for his high school career, striking out 375 in 332+1⁄3 innings (67 appearances).

2004 draft

Darvish was scouted by Major League teams, such as the Anaheim Angels and Atlanta Braves, even while in junior high. As he entered his senior year of high school, the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets had expressed interest in signing him, but Darvish's intent remained to play for a Japanese professional team instead.

Darvish was considered one of the best high school pitchers in the 2004 NPB amateur draft along with Yokohama Senior High School right-hander Hideaki Wakui (later picked by the Seibu Lions) and Akita Municipal Akita Commercial High School right-hander Tsuyoshi Sato (Hiroshima Toyo Carp). While the Fighters, Carp, Chunichi Dragons, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, and Orix BlueWave all considered selecting Darvish with their first-round pick in the final months, the Fighters were one of the few teams that chose not to forgo the first round in exchange for signing a college or industrial league player prior to the draft. This enabled them to land Darvish with their first-round pick in November 17 draft, signing him to a base salary of ¥15,000,000, a signing bonus of ¥100,000,000, and additional performance-based incentives (the equivalent of what a first-round college or industrial league player would normally receive) on December 17.

Professional career

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2005–2011)

Darvish received further publicity when he was caught smoking in a pachinko parlor on an off-day during his first spring training in 2005, despite not being old enough to legally smoke or to gamble at the time. The incident prompted his high school to suspend him, and the Fighters to place him under probation for an indefinite period and order him to participate in community service.

Darvish made his professional debut later that season, taking the mound in an interleague game against the Carp on June 15. He pitched 8 scoreless innings before giving up back-to-back solo home runs in the ninth. He was then removed from the game but earned the win, becoming the 12th pitcher in NPB history to earn a win in one's professional debut as a rookie straight out of high school. He recorded his first complete game win on August 6 against the Lions and his first complete game shutout on September 18, holding the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to just two hits and becoming the 14th pitcher in NPB history to throw a complete-game shutout as a rookie out of high school. He finished the season with a 5–5 record in 14 starts, throwing 94+1⁄3 innings with an ERA of 3.53.

Darvish had a breakout year in 2006, compiling a 12–5 record with 115 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA. He went 10–0 after May 30, playing a leading role in the Fighters' first Pacific League title since 1981 (his win streak lasted until April 14 of the following season, when it reached 12 consecutive wins) and contributing to their first championship since 1961 in the Japan Series over the Dragons. Darvish was chosen to take the hill for the first game of each of the Pacific League playoffs, Japan Series, and the 2006 Asia Series, played between the champions of Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea at the end of the season. Darvish, then 20 years old, became the first pitcher to start a Japan Series game since 1987 while under the age of 21, and the fifth pitcher in NPB history to win a Japan Series game at that age with his win in game 5 of the series. He also won the Asia Series Most Valuable Player award.

Darvish was named the Fighters' starter for their 2007 season opener, becoming the fourth pitcher in franchise history (including the Fighters' years as the Senators and Flyers) to start a season opener within three years of graduating high school (the other three pitchers all started season openers as rookies). He struck out 14 over nine innings in a no-decision in his second start against the Lions on March 30 (the game ended a 2–2 tie in extra innings) and 14 again in a complete game win in his next start against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on April 7, becoming the second pitcher in Japanese professional baseball history to strike out 14 or more batters in two consecutive starts.

Texas Rangers (2012–2017)

Darvish was posted to Major League Baseball prior to the 2012 season, and is currently represented by agents Don Nomura and Arn Tellem. He added confirmation of this posting on his blog. MLB teams had until December 14, 2011, to submit a blind posting bid, and the Nippon-Ham Fighters had until December 20, 2011, to announce whether the highest bid would be accepted or rejected. Their announcement of acceptance of the highest bid, from the Texas Rangers, was made on December 19, 2011 EST, at a reported $51.7 million. The Rangers then had 30 days to negotiate with Darvish, or he would return to Japan. On January 18, 2012, the Texas Rangers signed Darvish to a $60 million contract for six years with a player option to void the last year, 15 minutes prior to a 4:00 pm CST deadline. Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan commented that Darvish had shown more control than he did at Darvish's age.

Darvish's first start in the Majors came on April 9 against the Seattle Mariners in Texas. His first MLB strikeout was of Dustin Ackley on a 2–2 80 mph curveball; the first MLB hit that he allowed was a single into left field by Ichiro Suzuki on a 2–2 96 mph fastball. He threw for 52⁄3 innings, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks, and striking out five, gaining his first MLB win in the process. When Alexi Ogando came to relieve him in the 6th, Darvish got a standing ovation from the crowd at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Darvish's first start away from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington came on April 14 against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. He pitched for 52⁄3 innings, allowing 9 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs (one of which was unearned), while collecting 4 strikeouts. Despite the Rangers winning the game, it was a no-decision for Darvish. Instead, teammate Robbie Ross picked up the win.

On April 24, in a game against the New York Yankees, Darvish pitched 81⁄3 shutout innings, collecting 10 strikeouts, while allowing seven hits and two walks. He gave up a hit to Nick Swisher with one out in the 9th. Joe Nathan, the Rangers' closer, relieved him and induced a ground ball double play to get the save and secure the third win for Darvish. As Nathan came in, Darvish received a deafening ovation from the crowd. This game also marked the seventh time in MLB history that the two starting pitchers were both Japanese, with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound for the Yankees. The game was also televised in Japan.

Los Angeles Dodgers (2017)

On July 31, 2017, the Rangers traded Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers for prospects Willie Calhoun, A.J. Alexy, and Brendon Davis. On September 7, Darvish became the fastest starter to 1,000 strikeouts in MLB, doing so in 812 innings. Darvish was 4–3 with a 3.44 ERA in nine starts for the Dodgers. Overall in 2017, with the Rangers and Dodgers, Darvish made 31 starts with a 10–12 record, 209 strikeouts, 12 wild pitches (7th in the major leagues), and a 3.86 ERA.

In the postseason, Darvish won his lone start in the NLDS, allowing one run in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks while striking out seven. He also pitched well in the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs, with one run in 61⁄3 innings, again with seven strikeouts.

In the World Series, Darvish failed to get out of the second inning in either of his two starts against the Houston Astros. He lost both games, including Game 7, and allowed nine runs (eight earned) in 31⁄3 innings while failing to strike out one batter. They were the shortest two starts of his career, and Darvish became the first starting pitcher since Art Ditmar in 1960 to have two starts of less than two innings in the World Series. Shortly after the World Series, an unnamed Astros player suggested that Darvish had been tipping his pitches. Dodgers teammate Chase Utley had evaluated Darvish's Game 3 start and concluded that this was not the case, though Darvish changed his approach for Game 7. More than a month later, a Sports Illustrated article revealed that the Astros had figured out how Darvish was tipping his pitches: "Darvish holds the ball at his side when he gets the sign from the catcher. Whether he re-grips or not as he brings the ball into his glove was the tip-off whether he was going to throw a slider/cutter or a fastball." This unnamed Astros player said the Astros had known about this going into Game 3 which they also won, but that they had an even better game plan for Game 7.

After the season, Darvish became a free agent for the first time in his career, and he chose not to re-sign with the Dodgers as there was much fan ire against him for his disappointing World Series outings that many felt had cost the Dodgers the title.

With the Astros being disciplined on January 13, 2020 for using cameras to steal catcher-to-pitcher signals during the 2017 MLB postseason, Darvish refused to blame sign stealing for his poor starts and instead suggested that the 2017 Astros batters were talented, and he humorously posted on Twitter that he would wear a "Yu Garbage" jersey if the Dodgers held a championship parade.

Chicago Cubs (2018–2020)

On February 13, 2018, Darvish signed a six-year, $126 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. He first pitched for the Cubs on March 31, against the Miami Marlins. He allowed 5 runs in 4+1⁄3 innings as the Cubs won 10–6 in 10 innings. On May 7, Darvish was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to the flu. On May 26, Darvish was again placed on the 10-day disabled list due to right triceps tendinitis. On August 19, Darvish began a rehab stint. While warming up before the second inning, Darvish summoned trainers and was removed from the game. An MRI revealed Darvish had a stress reaction on his right elbow as well as a triceps strain, ending his season after only 8 games and 40 innings pitched, in which he was 1–3 with a 4.95 ERA.

Darvish was 6–8 with a 3.98 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 31 starts. He gave up 33 home runs, the most in the National League, threw 11 wild pitches, the second-most in the NL, and hit 11 batsmen, the third-most in the league.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Darvish placed second in the National League Cy Young vote after a season going 8–3 with a 2.01 ERA. He led the league in wins, was second in ERA (2.01), walks per nine innings pitched (1.658), and home runs per nine innings pitched (0.592). He was fourth in WHIP (0.961), fifth in win-loss percentage (.727), seventh in hits per nine innings pitched (6.987), and eighth in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (11.013).

Darvish started Game 2 of the 2020 NL Wild Card Series against the Miami Marlins. He pitched 6+2⁄3 innings, striking out six batters and giving up the only two runs of the game in a 2-0 loss, as the Cubs were swept, two games to none.

San Diego Padres (2021–present)

On December 29, 2020, Darvish and his personal catcher Víctor Caratini were traded to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Zach Davies and prospects Owen Caissie, Reginald Preciado, Yeison Santana, and Ismael Mena ahead of the 2021 season. In his first year with the Padres, Darvish posted an 8–11 record with a 4.22 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 166+1⁄3 innings in 2021.

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.

The following season, Darvish threw his 3,000th career strikeout on September 2, becoming only the second Japanese pitcher after Hideo Nomo to reach the milestone. In 30 starts for San Diego in 2022, Darvish had a 16–8 record and 3.10 ERA with 197 strikeouts in 194+2⁄3 innings pitched.

Darvish made four starts during the postseason. In Game 1 of the 2022 NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets, he pitched seven innings and gave up only one earned run, earning the win, as the Padres won the game 7-1. Darvish started and earned the win in Game 2 of the 2022 NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out seven batters and only allowing three earned runs in a 5-3 victory.

Darvish also made two starts in the 2022 NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 1, he struck out seven batters across seven innings, but also gave up the only two runs of the game in a 2-0 loss. He also started Game 5, where he pitched six innings, taking a no-decision as the Padres lost 4-3, losing the series 4-1.

On February 9, 2023, Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million contract extension with the Padres ahead of the 2023 season. On August 14, 2023, Darvish struck out his 1,919th batter, passing Hideo Nomo to become MLB's Japanese-born leader in strikeouts. On August 31, Darvish was diagnosed with a bone spur in his right elbow, causing him to be shut down for the rest of the season. He made 24 starts, posting an 8–10 record with a 4.56 earned run average and 141 strikeouts in 136+1⁄3 innings pitched.

Darvish began the season as the opening day starting pitcher for the Padres against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park.

International career

2008 Beijing Olympics

Named the ace of the Japanese national team by manager Senichi Hoshino in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Darvish took the hill in Japan's first game of the preliminary round against Cuba on August 13, but was charged with the loss after giving up four runs in four innings. The subpar outing caused Hoshino to lose faith in him and scratch Darvish from the semi-finals that he had penciled him in for, sending Darvish to the mound only in situations that would have no bearing on Japan's fate in the tournament. Darvish started the last game of the preliminary round against the United States on August 20 and was brought in to mop up after the U.S. had taken a decisive lead in the bronze medal match, finishing the tournament 0–1 with a 5.14 ERA, albeit with 10 strikeouts in seven innings pitched.

2009 World Baseball Classic

Darvish pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic as the de facto ace of the Japanese national team, starting the opening game against China on March 5. He pitched four innings, allowing one walk and no hits and striking out three as Japan beat China, 4–0. However, pitching in a Major League stadium for the first time in his career, he struggled in his second outing of the tournament against South Korea on March 17, throwing five innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk and ultimately being charged with the loss. His first career save would follow six days later, when he pitched the final inning of the semifinals against the United States, yielding no runs and a single and striking out two as Japan won 9–4.

Darvish came on in relief in the bottom of the ninth inning of the championship game against South Korea, with Japan leading 3–2. He struck out his first batter, walked the next two, struck out his next, and then gave up a tying two-out single before finishing the inning with another strikeout. However, Japan scored two runs in the top of the tenth inning to regain a 5–3 lead, and after giving up a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning, Darvish retired the next three batters (striking out two of them) to clinch Japan's second consecutive tournament title. In the WBC, he was 2–1 with one blown save, a 2.08 ERA, and 20 strikeouts in 13 innings. He recorded a career-high 99 mph when he worked in relief at the WBC.

2023 World Baseball Classic

After not playing in the WBC in 2013 and 2017, Darvish re-joined Japan's roster for the 2023 WBC. He earned the win after allowing 3 runs in 3 innings in a start against South Korea. In 3 games, he allowed 4 earned runs and 3 home runs in 6 innings, as Japan won its first WBC title since 2009.

2026 World Baseball Classic

In January 2026, it was reported that Darvish would be joining the coaching staff of the Japan team for the 2026 WBC.

Pitching style

Darvish is a right-handed pitcher who throws from a three-quarter arm slot in a drop-and-drive motion. He has a large frame for a pitcher, listed at 6 ft 5 in and 220 lb. Darvish throws a four-seam fastball which averages 93–95 mph (tops out at 99 mph), as well as a hard slurve (slider) in the low 80s with a sharp break. He complements these two with a wide repertoire of secondary pitches, including a two-seam fastball (also described as a shuuto), a cutter, two curveballs, a splitter, and an occasional changeup. Darvish has a "fast curve" and a "slow curve", the former averaging about 80 mph and the latter about 71. The slow curve is almost exclusively used in no-strike and 1-strike counts, while the fast curve is mostly used in 2-strike counts. Some professional scouts consider Darvish to have the best repertoire of quality pitches, including the best slider, in all of Major League Baseball. In August 2019, Darvish learned a knuckle curve from Cubs teammate Craig Kimbrel and began using the pitch.

Advance scouting on Darvish is made difficult by his tendency to change his most frequent pitch sequences over time.

While Darvish uses both the set, or "stretch" position and the windup, he has been noted for pitching exclusively from the stretch at times, even when there are not runners on base. While pitching from the windup is generally thought to add velocity to pitches, the set position allows pitchers more control over baserunners. Darvish often uses the set position to keep his delivery in sync and consistent.

Prior to the 2006 season, Darvish's "go-to" pitch was a screwball, and he tends to rely more on his off-speed pitches than his fastball. After injuring his shoulder in an exhibition game start against the 2006 World Baseball Classic Japanese national team in February 2006, because of the strain the screwball had gradually been putting on his shoulder, he took the pitch out of his in-game repertoire and worked to develop his splitter until it became an equally effective pitch that would replace the screwball. He also increased his fastball velocity for several years in MLB, with his average velocity rising from 92.7 miles per hour in 2012 to 95.9 miles per hour in 2020.

In 2019 alone, Darvish used 10 different pitches: a cutter with two different movements, both four seam and two seam fastballs, a slider, a splitter, normal and slow curveballs, a knuckle curve, and a changeup. In 2020, he revealed on Twitter that he learned a "supreme pitch," which is a hybrid between a splitter and a two-seam fastball. This pitch can reach 93 mph. To add new pitches to his arsenal, Darvish will often use a new pitch in game with little knowledge beforehand, forcing him to adapt to it quickly.

Personal life

In August 2007, Darvish acknowledged a relationship with Japanese model and actress Saeko. He announced later that Saeko was pregnant with their son. They married on November 11, 2007, and their son, Ren Dokyu, was born in March 2008. Their second child, also a boy, was born in February 2010. The couple divorced in January 2012; it became final the same day that Darvish officially signed with the Rangers.

Darvish made his first donation at the age of 10 when his father’s native Iran suffered an earthquake; the boy donated his allowance money to the relief cause. In February 2007, Darvish established a humanitarian fund, the "Yu Darvish Water Fund", dedicated to the construction, installation, and maintenance of wells, well pumps, and rainwater storage facilities in developing countries. He announced plans to contribute to the fund by donating ¥100,000 each time he notches a regular season win. The fund is managed by the Japan Water Forum.

An entertainment company, Avex Group Holdings Inc. manages Darvish's non-baseball rights worldwide, and he has appeared in ads for many companies, including Seiko, Asahi Dry Black Beer, and Pocari Sweat. Darvish has also appeared on the covers of Japanese men's fashion magazines, such as GQ, Men's Non-No, and Gainer. Darvish was selected as the "GQ Man of the Year" in Japan in the February 2012 issue. Darvish is sponsored by Japanese sportswear supplier Asics.

On July 30, 2015, Darvish announced that his girlfriend, former world-champion wrestler Seiko Yamamoto, gave birth to their son on July 29.

In 2018, Darvish purchased a $4.55 million home in Evanston, Illinois. He requested permission to construct a six-foot high fence around the property and to acquire adjacent land owned by the city. This caused some controversy among his neighbors, as the fence would require a zoning variance and would obstruct neighborhood views of Lake Michigan. After the fence was constructed, Darvish's neighbors filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on March 29, 2019, asking a judge to rule that the Darvishes' fence obstructed their view of the lake, violating an easement and a verbal agreement.

Darvish's eldest son, Shoei Darvish, is playing as a pitcher in 2025 for Cathedral Catholic High School and the San Diego Padres Scout Team. In August 2025, he announced his decision to join the baseball team at the University of California, San Diego. His other son with Saeko, Ren Dokyu, is a model.