Yu Darvish
Encyclopedia
Yu Darvish ' onMouseout='HidePop("38553")' href="/topics/Habikino,_Osaka">Habikino, Osaka
) is a Japanese
starting pitcher
for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic
as a member of the Japanese national team
. At 25 years of age, he is considered the Fighters' staff ace
as well as one of the best pitchers in Japanese professional baseball.
, to an Iranian father, Farsad Darvishsefat, and a Japanese mother, Ikuyo. His parents met at Eckerd College
, a liberal arts
school in St. Petersburg, Florida
, where his father played for the college soccer team. His grandfather was a travel agent in Iran, and sent Farsad to the United States in 1977 to attend high school
in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
, where he also raced competitively in motocross
.
Darvish began playing baseball
in second grade
and led his team to the quarter-finals 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
, but opted to attend Tohoku High School, a noted baseball powerhouse that produced players such as former Seattle Mariners
and Yokohama BayStars
closer
Kazuhiro Sasaki
and current Milwaukee Brewers
reliever
Takashi Saito
, in northern Sendai.
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 , but gave up four runs
to Joso Gakuin High School (whose No. 3 hitter, second baseman
Katsuhiko Saka, currently plays for the Hanshin Tigers
), 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 . Though the team lost in the quarter-finals despite stellar outings by Darvish and sidearm
er Kenji Makabe (currently with Honda Motor Company's
industrial league team), many saw Darvish as the best high school pitcher
in the country by that time. He pitched 12 games and put up a 7-3 record
with 87 strikeout
s 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 332⅓ innings (67 appearances).
teams, such as the then Anaheim Angels and Atlanta Braves
, even while in junior high. As he entered his senior year of high school, the Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers
and New York Mets
had all 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 the November 17 draft, signing him to a base salary of 15 million yen
, a signing bonus
of 100 million yen and additional performance-based incentives (the equivalent of what a first-round college or industrial league player would normally receive) on December 17.
parlor on an off-day during his first Spring Training in , despite not being old enough to legally smoke nor 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 of time and order him to participate in community service.
Despite his suspension, Darvish made his professional debut later that season, taking the mound in an interleague game against the Carp on June 15. Though he gave up back-to-back solo home run
s in the ninth, he pitched 8 0/3 innings on those two runs alone and 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 only 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 94⅓ innings with an ERA of 3.53.
title since (his win streak lasted until April 14 of the following season, when it reached 12-0) and contributing to their first championship since 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 only 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.
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 only the second pitcher in Japanese professional baseball history to strike out 14 or more batters in two consecutive starts.
Darvish went on to post a 15-5 record with a 1.82 ERA (falling just 0.003 points short of the league lead, which went to Chiba Lotte Marines
left-hander Yoshihisa Naruse
) for the year, limiting hitters to a .174 batting average against and leading the league with 210 strikeouts. He led the Fighters to their second consecutive league title, winning both of his starts in the second round of the Climax Series (playoffs) against the Marines.
Darvish took the mound in Game 1 of the Japan Series
that followed on October 27 against the Dragons for the second straight year, pitching a 13-strikeout, complete game win in an intense pitchers' duel with then-Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami
(currently with the Atlanta Braves) and becoming only the third pitcher in Japan Series history to strike out 13 or more batters in a single game. With the Fighters down 3-1 and facing elimination, Darvish started Game 5 on November 1 and held the Dragons to one run over seven innings while striking out 11. However, the Fighters had no answer for opposing right-hander Daisuke Yamai
and closer Hitoki Iwase
, failing to get a single man on base and allowing the first perfect game
in Japan Series history. (However, the game was not an official perfect game according to NPB regulations, which state that a perfect game must be thrown by a single pitcher.) The Dragons won the game 1-0, charging Darvish with the loss and becoming Japan Series champions. The 24 strikeouts that Darvish totaled in his two starts were the second-highest by any single pitcher in series history (and the highest in a series that went only five games).
Darvish was presented with both his first career Eiji Sawamura Award (being the first to meet or exceed guidelines for the award in all seven categories in 14 years) and his first Most Valuable Player
award following the season. He also won the Golden Glove and Best Nine
awards that year.
On August 9, 2007, Darvish acknowledged reports of a relationship with the Japanese actress Saeko
in a post-game interview. He also announced that they were planning to get married, and that Saeko was pregnant with their first child. The couple married in November 2007, in what Japanese tabloids reported was a shotgun wedding, and welcomed their first child on March 25, 2008.
Darvish made his national team
debut in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship
(which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
) against Chinese Taipei
on December 3, 2007. Because Japanese law requires that a person holding dual citizenship
choose a single nationality before their twenty-second birthday, Darvish had chosen to retain his Japanese citizenship so that he could play for the national team in the Olympics
.
On December 22, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 200 million yen plus payment at piece rates, up 128 million yen from 2006. At 21 years old, Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 200 million yen mark.
emerged as the league leaders in both wins and ERA. On April 10, in their only match-up of the season, neither gave up a single hit
through the first five innings. Iwakuma went the distance, throwing just 100 pitches
and giving up just one run on three hits; yet Darvish topped this, throwing another complete game shutout on three hits and just 95 pitches in one of the best pitchers' duels of the season.
While he did not pitch the way he had hoped in the Olympics, Darvish promptly put up a perfect 5-0 record with a 1.29 ERA and two complete games in the five starts upon returning to the Fighters, leading them to a playoff berth in a heated race against the Marines. While the Fighters failed to make the Japan Series, Darvish took the mound in two playoff games, giving up one run in a complete game win in one and pitching a complete game shutout in another. Although he lost out to Iwakuma (who put up an astonishing 21-4 record) in wins, he finished second in all three Triple Crown
categories, finishing the season with a 16-4 record, 1.88 ERA and 208 strikeouts. (It was his second straight year putting up an ERA under 2.00, throwing more than 200 innings, and striking out over 200 hitters despite missing time due to the Olympics.) Regardless, the Sawamura Award was presented to Iwakuma, and Darvish became just the second pitcher to clear the guidelines in all seven categories to not win the award (Suguru Egawa
was the first in 1982).
Darvish took the mound in Game 1 of the first round of the Climax Series against the Orix Buffaloes
on October 11, allowing nine hits but holding the team to one run while striking out 14 in a 4-1 complete game win. He started Game 2 of the second round against the Saitama Seibu Lions on October 18 and pitched a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win, but the Fighters lost the series 4-2 and fell short of their third straight appearance in the Japan Series.
On December 1, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 270 million yen plus payment at piece rates, up 70 million yen from 2007.
teammate Hisashi Iwakuma. Darvish gave up three runs in the first inning but insisted on going the distance, giving up eight hits but allowing no runs from the second inning onward in a 121-pitch, complete game loss (Iwakuma held the Fighters to one run over six innings and was credited with the win). He had a stellar outing on April 24, striking out six straight and 11 overall en route to a four-hit, complete game shutout (his first of the season) over the Buffaloes, following it up by holding the Lions to one run and striking out 11 over nine innings in a no-decision in a match-up with fellow 22-year-old ace Hideaki Wakui on May 1 (the Fighters lost 2-1 in extra innings).
On August 22, Darvish was taken off the active roster for the first time in his career due to injury. The Fighters classified it as "shoulder fatigue," and the deactivation came after a career-worst start against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
, in which he went 8 innings, but gave up 6 earned runs on 10 hits in a losing effort. He was reactivated on September 13 after recovering at farm team, but in his second start back a week later against the Orix Buffaloes
, Darvish gave up a career-high 7 walks in 5 innings, even though he only gave up 2 runs. Three days later he was deactivated again due to a combination of discomfort in his shoulder and a sore back.
Darvish was activated again just in time for the 2009 Japan Series against the Central League
champion Yomiuri Giants
, and he pitched Game 2 on November 1. He went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits, and also striking out 7 Giants. He became the winning pitcher, and the team won 4-2. The Yomiuri Giants would go on and win the championship series 4 games to 1. After the Japan Series, It was revealed that Yu had stress fracture of the right hand forefinger. Darvish said he first experienced pain after practice on Oct. 28 but kept it to himself. Also, he was unable to fully use the lower part of his body due to hip pains.
Darvish was presented his second Most Valuable Player
and Best Nine
awards at the end of the season. He became only the third player to have won 2 MVP awards in their first 5 years in the NPB, joining Kazuhisa Inao
and Ichiro Suzuki
. However, he lost out on his second Sawamura Award to Saitama Seibu Lions ace Hideaki Wakui
.
On December 9, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 330 million yen, up 60 million yen from 2009. At 23, Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 300 million yen mark, along with being the highest-paid pitcher in the Pacific League
presently.
him to Major League Baseball
prior to the 2012 season.
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 4 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).
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 semi-finals 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. His WBC stats was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 13 innings.
that usually sits around 147 to 152 km/h (91.3 to 94.4 mph) and tops out at 156 km/h (97 mph) {Only 1 pitch measured 161 km/h (100 mph) in World Baseball Classic final in 2009} as well as a hard slurve
around 80 mi/h with a vicious break. He complements these two with a wide repertoire of secondary pitches, including a two-seam fastball
(sometimes described as a shuuto
), cutter
, curveball
, splitter
, and a changeup
.
Prior to the 2006 season, Darvish's go-to pitch was a screwball
, tending to rely more on his off-speed pitches than his fastball. After injuring his shoulder
in a 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 effectively replace the screwball. He has also succeeded in increasing his fastball velocity from year to year.
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 5 Nov. 2011
Habikino, Osaka
is a city located in eastern Osaka, Japan. It is particularly well-known for its grape production, as well as the many ancient burial mounds that dot its landscape.-Within Japan: Kameyama, Mie Gose, Nara...
) is a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held from August 13 to August 23. All games were played at Wukesong Baseball Field, a temporary venue constructed at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center...
as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the...
as a member of the Japanese national team
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
. At 25 years of age, he is considered the Fighters' staff ace
Ace (baseball)
In baseball, an ace is the best starting pitcher of any team and nearly always the first pitcher in his starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, an ace usually always starts on Opening Day...
as well as one of the best pitchers in Japanese professional baseball.
Early life
Darvish was born in Habikino, OsakaHabikino, Osaka
is a city located in eastern Osaka, Japan. It is particularly well-known for its grape production, as well as the many ancient burial mounds that dot its landscape.-Within Japan: Kameyama, Mie Gose, Nara...
, to an Iranian father, Farsad Darvishsefat, and a Japanese mother, Ikuyo. His parents met at Eckerd College
Eckerd College
Eckerd College is a private 4-year coeducational liberal arts college at the southernmost tip of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.- Campus :...
, a liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
school in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, where his father played for the college soccer team. His grandfather was a travel agent in Iran, and sent Farsad to the United States in 1977 to attend high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
, where he also raced competitively in motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
.
Darvish began playing baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in second grade
Second grade
In the United States, second grade is a year of primary education. Second grade is the second school year after kindergarten. Students are traditionally 7–8 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs....
and led his team to the quarter-finals of the national tournament
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
as well as a third-place finish
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the international tournament as a member of the Habikino Boys. He was scouted
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
by over 50 high schools while in junior high
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, but opted to attend Tohoku High School, a noted baseball powerhouse that produced players such as former Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
and Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro "Daimajin" Sasaki is a former Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played his entire NPB career with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars...
and current Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Takashi Saito
Takashi Saito
is a Japanese professional baseball player.Saito previously pitched for the Yokohama BayStars in the Japanese Central League, compiling a record of 87–80 over 13 seasons...
, in northern Sendai.
High school career
Darvish became Tohoku High's ace pitcher by the fall of his first year (the equivalent of tenth gradeTenth grade
In majority of the world,Tenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten. The variants of "10th grade" in various nations is described below.-Australia:...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) and led his team to four straight appearances in national tournaments
High school baseball in Japan
In Japan, high school baseball generally refers to the two annual baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating at a final showdown at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Japan...
held at Koshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
in his junior and senior years, twice in the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kōshien" or "Senbatsu" , is an annual high school baseball tournament....
held in the spring and twice in the National High School Baseball Championship
National High School Baseball Championship
The National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as "Summer Kōshien" , is an annual nationwide high school baseball tournament...
in the summer.
Darvish led his team to the finals
Final (competition)
The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided.In sports competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between the winners of two semi-finals...
of the 85th National High School Baseball Championship in the summer of , but gave up four runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
to Joso Gakuin High School (whose No. 3 hitter, second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Katsuhiko Saka, currently plays for the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
), the Ibaraki
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
champions, in a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
loss.
Darvish attracted national attention when he pitched a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
against Kumamoto
Kumamoto, Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census...
Technical High School in the first round of the 76th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament as a senior on March 26 . Though the team lost in the quarter-finals despite stellar outings by Darvish and sidearm
Sidearm
In baseball, sidearm describes balls thrown along a low, approximately horizontal axis rather than a high, mostly vertical axis ....
er Kenji Makabe (currently with Honda Motor Company's
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
industrial league team), many saw Darvish as the best high school pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in the country by that time. He pitched 12 games and put up a 7-3 record
Pitchers of record
Pitcher of record is a baseball term that refers to a pitcher who is credited with the win or charged with the loss in a particular game. These pitchers are known respectively as the winning and losing pitchers and collectively as the pitchers of record; thus, there are always two pitchers of...
with 87 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in 92 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
and a 1.47 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in his four national tournament appearances, and posted a 1.10 ERA for his high school career, striking out 375 in 332⅓ innings (67 appearances).
2004 draft
Darvish was scouted extensively by Major LeagueMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams, such as the then Anaheim Angels and Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, even while in junior high. As he entered his senior year of high school, the Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
had all expressed interest in signing him, but Darvish's intent remained to play for a Japanese professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
team instead.
Darvish was considered one of the best high school pitchers in the 2004 NPB amateur draft
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
along with Yokohama Senior High School right-hander Hideaki Wakui
Hideaki Wakui
is a starting pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions.The Lions' current staff ace, Wakui pitched for the Japanese national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic.-Early life:...
(later picked by the Seibu Lions) and Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
Municipal
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
Akita Commercial High School
Commercial high school (Japan)
A , called or shōgyō for short, is a Japanese high school which concentrates more on the teaching of business and commerce knowledge and skills rather than the college preparatory courses taught in most Japanese high schools. Most students who graduate from a commercial high school directly enter...
right-hander Tsuyoshi Sato (Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
). While the Fighters, Carp, Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
, 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 the November 17 draft, signing him to a base salary of 15 million yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
, a signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
of 100 million yen and additional performance-based incentives (the equivalent of what a first-round college or industrial league player would normally receive) on December 17.
2005
Darvish received further publicity when he was caught smoking in a pachinkoPachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...
parlor on an off-day during his first Spring Training in , despite not being old enough to legally smoke nor 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 of time and order him to participate in community service.
Despite his suspension, Darvish made his professional debut later that season, taking the mound in an interleague game against the Carp on June 15. Though he gave up back-to-back solo home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in the ninth, he pitched 8 0/3 innings on those two runs alone and earned the win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
, becoming the 12th pitcher in NPB history to earn a win in one's professional debut as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
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
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
to just two hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and becoming only 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 94⅓ innings with an ERA of 3.53.
2006
Darvish had a breakout year in , compiling a 12-5 record with 115 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA. In particular, he went 10-0 after May 30, playing a leading role in the Fighters' first Pacific LeaguePacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
title since (his win streak lasted until April 14 of the following season, when it reached 12-0) and contributing to their first championship since in the Japan Series
2006 Japan Series
The Japan Series, the 57th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 26, and matched the Central League champion Chunichi Dragons against the Pacific League champion, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters...
over the Dragons. Darvish was chosen to take the hill for the first game of each of the Pacific League playoffs, Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
, and the 2006 Asia Series (played between the champions of Japan, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
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 only 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
Asia Series
The Asia Series is an international baseball tournament in East Asia that was first held between November 10 and November 13, 2005, in Tokyo. The tournament was sponsored by Konami corporation from 2005 to 2007 and was known as the Konami Cup in that period.It is played among the annual champions...
Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award.
2007
Darvish was named the Fighters' starter for their season opener, becoming only 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-decisionDecision (baseball)
A decision is a statistical credit given to a baseball pitcher.There are two types of decisions: win and loss.In order to receive a win, the starting pitcher must complete at least five innings and leave with the lead. If the pitcher's lead is preserved by the bullpen, he is credited with a win...
in his second start against the Lions on March 30 (the game ended a 2-2 tie
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
in extra innings) and 14 again in a complete game win in his next start against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
on April 7, becoming only the second pitcher in Japanese professional baseball history to strike out 14 or more batters in two consecutive starts.
Darvish went on to post a 15-5 record with a 1.82 ERA (falling just 0.003 points short of the league lead, which went to Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
left-hander Yoshihisa Naruse
Yoshihisa Naruse
Yoshihisa Naruse is a Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball. He made his debut in the 2006 season.. In 2007, Naruse had his best season as a professional in his short career...
) for the year, limiting hitters to a .174 batting average against and leading the league with 210 strikeouts. He led the Fighters to their second consecutive league title, winning both of his starts in the second round of the Climax Series (playoffs) against the Marines.
Darvish took the mound in Game 1 of the Japan Series
2007 Japan Series
The Japan Series, the 58th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series, began Saturday, October 27, 2007, pitting the Pacific League Regular League and Climax Series' Champion, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, and the Chunichi Dragons, winners of the Central League's Climax...
that followed on October 27 against the Dragons for the second straight year, pitching a 13-strikeout, complete game win in an intense pitchers' duel with then-Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami
Kenshin Kawakami
Kenshin Kawakami is a right-handed Japanese professional baseball starting pitcher, who is a free agent.-Japanese career:...
(currently with the Atlanta Braves) and becoming only the third pitcher in Japan Series history to strike out 13 or more batters in a single game. With the Fighters down 3-1 and facing elimination, Darvish started Game 5 on November 1 and held the Dragons to one run over seven innings while striking out 11. However, the Fighters had no answer for opposing right-hander Daisuke Yamai
Daisuke Yamai
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Chunichi Dragons. In the 2007 Nippon Series, he threw eight innings of a combined perfect game with Hitoki Iwase to decide the series against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.-References:...
and closer Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase is a Japanese professional baseball player from Nishio, Aichi, Japan. He is a closing pitcher....
, failing to get a single man on base and allowing the first perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in Japan Series history. (However, the game was not an official perfect game according to NPB regulations, which state that a perfect game must be thrown by a single pitcher.) The Dragons won the game 1-0, charging Darvish with the loss and becoming Japan Series champions. The 24 strikeouts that Darvish totaled in his two starts were the second-highest by any single pitcher in series history (and the highest in a series that went only five games).
Darvish was presented with both his first career Eiji Sawamura Award (being the first to meet or exceed guidelines for the award in all seven categories in 14 years) and his first Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award following the season. He also won the Golden Glove and Best Nine
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.-History:...
awards that year.
On August 9, 2007, Darvish acknowledged reports of a relationship with the Japanese actress Saeko
Saeko
Saeko is a media talent who has acted in a number of films and television dramas.Though she has been credited under the stagename Saeko Dōkyū, her real name remains a secret....
in a post-game interview. He also announced that they were planning to get married, and that Saeko was pregnant with their first child. The couple married in November 2007, in what Japanese tabloids reported was a shotgun wedding, and welcomed their first child on March 25, 2008.
Darvish made his national team
National team
A National sports team , is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in a sport....
debut in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship
2007 Asian Baseball Championship
The 24th Asian Baseball Championship was contested in Taichung, Taiwan in November and December 2007. The tournament is sanctioned by the Asian Baseball Federation. The winner of the tournament will gain automatic entry into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing...
(which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
) against Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei baseball team
The Chinese Taipei baseball team , is the national team of the Republic of China . It is governed by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association. They are generally recognized as one of the elite national baseball teams. They are currently the fifth ranked baseball team in the world, just behind South...
on December 3, 2007. Because Japanese law requires that a person holding dual citizenship
Multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
choose a single nationality before their twenty-second birthday, Darvish had chosen to retain his Japanese citizenship so that he could play for the national team in the Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
On December 22, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 200 million yen plus payment at piece rates, up 128 million yen from 2006. At 21 years old, Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 200 million yen mark.
2008
In , Darvish was named the Fighters' starter in the season opener for the second consecutive year, pitching a complete game shutout in that very game (the Fighters won 1-0). Even as his team struggled in the opening months of the season, Darvish continued to rack up wins at a pace that exceeded his own in the previous season. As the year went on, he and Eagles ace Hisashi IwakumaHisashi Iwakuma
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently the starting pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.As the Eagles' reigning staff ace, Iwakuma won the Eiji Sawamura Award in and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese...
emerged as the league leaders in both wins and ERA. On April 10, in their only match-up of the season, neither gave up a single hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
through the first five innings. Iwakuma went the distance, throwing just 100 pitches
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
and giving up just one run on three hits; yet Darvish topped this, throwing another complete game shutout on three hits and just 95 pitches in one of the best pitchers' duels of the season.
While he did not pitch the way he had hoped in the Olympics, Darvish promptly put up a perfect 5-0 record with a 1.29 ERA and two complete games in the five starts upon returning to the Fighters, leading them to a playoff berth in a heated race against the Marines. While the Fighters failed to make the Japan Series, Darvish took the mound in two playoff games, giving up one run in a complete game win in one and pitching a complete game shutout in another. Although he lost out to Iwakuma (who put up an astonishing 21-4 record) in wins, he finished second in all three Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
categories, finishing the season with a 16-4 record, 1.88 ERA and 208 strikeouts. (It was his second straight year putting up an ERA under 2.00, throwing more than 200 innings, and striking out over 200 hitters despite missing time due to the Olympics.) Regardless, the Sawamura Award was presented to Iwakuma, and Darvish became just the second pitcher to clear the guidelines in all seven categories to not win the award (Suguru Egawa
Suguru Egawa
is a Japanese former pitcher and now a baseball analyst.-High school career:Egawa entered Sakushin Gakuin High School. In his high school career, he recorded two perfect games of nine no-hitters of 20 shutouts of 30 complete games in 44 games...
was the first in 1982).
Darvish took the mound in Game 1 of the first round of the Climax Series against the Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
on October 11, allowing nine hits but holding the team to one run while striking out 14 in a 4-1 complete game win. He started Game 2 of the second round against the Saitama Seibu Lions on October 18 and pitched a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win, but the Fighters lost the series 4-2 and fell short of their third straight appearance in the Japan Series.
On December 1, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 270 million yen plus payment at piece rates, up 70 million yen from 2007.
2009
Darvish started the Fighters' season opener for the third straight year in , taking the mound in the game against the Eagles on April 3 in much-hyped match-up with the reigning Sawamura Award winner and World Baseball ClassicWorld Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
teammate Hisashi Iwakuma. Darvish gave up three runs in the first inning but insisted on going the distance, giving up eight hits but allowing no runs from the second inning onward in a 121-pitch, complete game loss (Iwakuma held the Fighters to one run over six innings and was credited with the win). He had a stellar outing on April 24, striking out six straight and 11 overall en route to a four-hit, complete game shutout (his first of the season) over the Buffaloes, following it up by holding the Lions to one run and striking out 11 over nine innings in a no-decision in a match-up with fellow 22-year-old ace Hideaki Wakui on May 1 (the Fighters lost 2-1 in extra innings).
On August 22, Darvish was taken off the active roster for the first time in his career due to injury. The Fighters classified it as "shoulder fatigue," and the deactivation came after a career-worst start against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, in which he went 8 innings, but gave up 6 earned runs on 10 hits in a losing effort. He was reactivated on September 13 after recovering at farm team, but in his second start back a week later against the Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
, Darvish gave up a career-high 7 walks in 5 innings, even though he only gave up 2 runs. Three days later he was deactivated again due to a combination of discomfort in his shoulder and a sore back.
Darvish was activated again just in time for the 2009 Japan Series against the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
champion Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, and he pitched Game 2 on November 1. He went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits, and also striking out 7 Giants. He became the winning pitcher, and the team won 4-2. The Yomiuri Giants would go on and win the championship series 4 games to 1. After the Japan Series, It was revealed that Yu had stress fracture of the right hand forefinger. Darvish said he first experienced pain after practice on Oct. 28 but kept it to himself. Also, he was unable to fully use the lower part of his body due to hip pains.
Darvish was presented his second Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
and Best Nine
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.-History:...
awards at the end of the season. He became only the third player to have won 2 MVP awards in their first 5 years in the NPB, joining Kazuhisa Inao
Kazuhisa Inao
was a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. In 1957, he won 20 consecutive games. In 1958 Japan Series, he pitched six games and won 4 consecutive games after his team lost 3 games. He even made a home run in fifth game of Japan Series. He was the Pacific League's Most Valuable Player in 1957 and...
and Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki
, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...
. However, he lost out on his second Sawamura Award to Saitama Seibu Lions ace Hideaki Wakui
Hideaki Wakui
is a starting pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions.The Lions' current staff ace, Wakui pitched for the Japanese national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic.-Early life:...
.
On December 9, Darvish re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 330 million yen, up 60 million yen from 2009. At 23, Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 300 million yen mark, along with being the highest-paid pitcher in the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
presently.
2012
Darvish will reportedly ask the Fighters to postPosting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and the United States' Major League Baseball . Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement in 1967 designed to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems...
him to Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
prior to the 2012 season.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Named the ace of the Japanese national team by managerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Senichi Hoshino
Senichi Hoshino
, 22 January 1947, is a former Japanese professional baseball player and current manager.In 2003, he led the Tigers to their first Central League pennant in 18 years before retiring for health reasons. Since 2007, He had managed the Japanese national team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.In October,...
in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Darvish took the hill in Japan's first game of the preliminary round against Cuba
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
on August 13, but was charged with the loss after giving up four runs in 4 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
United States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
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 ChinaChina national baseball team
The China national baseball team is the national representative team of the People's Republic of China.-Olympic Games:China secured qualification to the 2008 Summer Olympics automatically as host nation, giving the country its first Olympics berth....
on March 5. He pitched four innings, allowing one walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
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 semi-finals 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. His WBC stats was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 13 innings.
Pitching style
Darvish is a right-handed pitcher who throws from a three-quarters arm slot in a drop-and-drive motion with an above average frame, listed at 196 centimetre and 98 kg (216.1 lb). In NPB he throws a four-seam fastballFour-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family...
that usually sits around 147 to 152 km/h (91.3 to 94.4 mph) and tops out at 156 km/h (97 mph) {Only 1 pitch measured 161 km/h (100 mph) in World Baseball Classic final in 2009} as well as a hard slurve
Slurve
The slurve is a baseball pitch in which the pitcher throws a slider as if he were throwing a curve ball. The term is a portmanteau of the words "slider" and "curve".-History:...
around 80 mi/h with a vicious break. He complements these two with a wide repertoire of secondary pitches, including a two-seam fastball
Two-seam fastball
A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball, but the general movement of a screwball...
(sometimes described as a shuuto
Shuuto
The or shootball is a pitch commonly thrown by such right-handed Japanese pitchers such as Noboru Akiyama, Kenjiro Kawasaki, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Masumi Kuwata...
), cutter
Cutter (baseball)
In baseball, a cutter, or cut fastball, is a type of fastball which breaks slightly toward the pitcher's glove side as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more motion than a typical fastball. Some...
, curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
, splitter
Split-finger fastball
A split-finger fastball or splitter is a pitch in baseball. It is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. When thrown hard, it appears to be a fastball to the batter, but suddenly "drops off the table" towards home...
, and a changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
.
Prior to the 2006 season, Darvish's go-to pitch was a screwball
Screwball
A screwball , is a baseball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action....
, tending to rely more on his off-speed pitches than his fastball. After injuring his shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
in a exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
start against the 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
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 effectively replace the screwball. He has also succeeded in increasing his fastball velocity from year to year.
Other notes
- Darvish is also known by the PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
name Farid, meaning "glorious". - Darvish established a humanitarian fund dedicated to the construction, installment, and maintenance of wells, well pumps, and rainwater storage facilities in developing countries called the "Yu Darvish Water Fund" in February 2007. He has announced plans to contribute to this fund by donating 100,000 yen each time he notches a regular season win. The fund is managed by the Japan Water Forum.
- Darvish is the current spokesmodel for DyDo's D-1 COFFEE canned coffee line, succeeding former teammate Tsuyoshi ShinjoTsuyoshi Shinjois a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder.-Career:Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and raised in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, he played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from until , then for Major League Baseball's New York Mets and San Francisco Giants...
in this role.
Career statistics
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Team | W Win (baseball) In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only... |
L | W% Winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win... |
GS Games started In baseball statistics, games started indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he faces the first opposing batter... |
CG Complete game In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were... |
SHO | IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
ER Earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... |
K Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... |
ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... |
WHIP Walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base... |
league ERA |
| 18 | Nippon Ham Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,... |
5 | 5 | .500 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 94.1 | 97 | 37 | 37 | 7 | 48 | 52 | 3.53 | 1.54 | 4.06 | |
| 19 | 12 | 5 | .706 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 149.2 | 128 | 55 | 48 | 12 | 64 | 115 | 2.89 | 1.28 | 3.62 | ||
| 20 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 207.2 | 123 | 48 | 42 | 9 | 49 | 210 | 1.82 | 0.83 | 3.57 | ||
| 21 | 16 | 4 | .800 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 200.2 | 136 | 44 | 42 | 11 | 44 | 208 | 1.88 | 0.90 | 3.90 | ||
| 22 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 182 | 118 | 36 | 35 | 9 | 45 | 167 | 1.73 | 0.90 | 4.03 | ||
| 23 | 12 | 8 | .600 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 202 | 158 | 48 | 40 | 5 | 47 | 222 | 1.78 | 1.01 | 3.94 | ||
| 24 | 18 | 6 | .750 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 232 | 156 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 36 | 276 | 1.44 | 0.83 | 2.95 | ||
| Career | 93 | 38 | .710 | 164 | 55 | 18 | 1268.1 | 916 | 310 | 281 | 58 | 333 | 1259 | 1.99 | 0.98 | |||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 5 Nov. 2011