Married to the former Seiko Yamamoto, who is one of Japan’s most accomplished and famous female wrestlers...the couple has seven children...His father, Farsad Darvishsefat, is Iranian, and his mother, Ikuyo, is Japanese. Yu’ grandfather sent Farsad to the United States to study in 1977, shortly before the Shah of Iran was deposed. Farsad once worked in the cafeteria at the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp, and he met Yu’s mom, Ikuyo, at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. The two married and moved to Japan, where Yu was born...Attended Tohoku High School in northern Sendai, a school which also produced MLB pitchers Kazuhiro Sasaki and Takashi Saito...had a 1.10 ERA in his high school career, and pitched a no-hitter against Kumamoto Technical High School in the first round of the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament on March 26, 2004...According to Japanese law, citizens must choose a singular nationality before turning 22. Darvish chose Japanese, partly so he could play for Japan in the World Baseball Classic...Is honored with a museum in Hyogo, southern Japan. The Space11 Darvish Museum opened in November of 2013. The museum features roughly 100 items related to Yu Darvish. The museum includes the glove and uniform from Darvish’s no-hitter in 2004 and a computer graphics system that allows visitors to virtually hit against him...Says he throws 11 different pitch types: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, hard cutter, slow cutter, two different sliders, hard curveball, slow curveball, changeup, splitter, and supreme (somewhat of a cross between a splitter and a two-seamer)...Sometimes likes to throw left-handed while warming up to help his balance. He has said that he can throw 82 mph lefty...In 2021, as he walked to the plate when he took his at bat in his first game against the Cubs since being traded to San Diego, he used the walk up song "Intoxicated" by Martin Solveig & GTA. It was the same walk up song as Anthony Rizzo’s at Wrigley Field...In 2012, was named GQ Man of the Year by the Japanese issue of GQ Magazine...Established the Yu Darvish Water Fund in 2007 to supply safe water to people who face lack and contamination of water in developing countries...Had a mural painted of him in San Diego in the Convoy District in Kearny Mesa.
2023
On Feb. 9, 2023, the Padres signed Darvish to a new six-year contract through the 2028 season...In his third season with SD, his 24 starts were his fewest in a full season since his 17 in 2016 with TEX, and his 4.56 ERA (69 ER, 136.1 IP) was his highest in a season he made more than 8 starts in (4.95 in ’18 w/ CHC across 8 starts)...His 8.85 H/9 IP ratio was a career-high mark...but he finished the season with a 7.36 career H/9 IP rate that ranked fifth among all active MLB pitchers (min. 1,000 IP), behind only Clayton Kershaw (6.82), Jacob deGrom (6.90), Chris Sale (7.32) and Max Scherzer (7.33)...Darvish’s 7.36 H/9 IP rate ranks 31st all-time...His 9.31 SO/9 IP ratio marked just the second time he posted a sub-10.00 SO/9 IP ratio in a season (also: ’22 w/ SD)…recorded a higher SO/9 IP ratio (9.42) in his 15 first-half starts compared to his 9.12 SO/9 clip in his nine second-half starts...among all pitchers who have made at least 100 career post-All Star starts, his 11.25 SO/9 IP ratio ranks second all-time, trailing Chris Sale (11.28) and ahead of Randy Johnson (10.83), Gerrit Cole (10.74) and Max Scherzer (10.47)...Darvish has struck out 537 batters through his first 84 games pitched with Padres, the most ever by any pitcher by this milepost for the franchise...among all hurlers in their first 84 appearances in Padres history, the next closest are Jake Peavy (480) and Chris Young (444)...Struck out six on Aug. 14 vs. BAL, becoming MLB's strikeout leader for a Japanese-born player...his 1,919 career ML strikeouts passed Hideo Nomo's 1,918 SO...Nomo is currently serving in SD's organization as an Advisor to Baseball Operations...Darvish’s lone double-digit strikeout performance in ’23 came on April 16 vs. MIL...since his debut 2012 season through 2023, Yu posted 50 double-digit SO performances, the seventh-most in MLB over that span...he trailed Max Scherzer (107), Chris Sale (81), Gerrit Cole (61), Jacob deGrom (60), Clayton Kershaw (53) and Justin Verlander (52)...Among all ML starters who faced at least 200 batters the first time through a lineup, his .198 AVG (38-192) ranked T-ninth...second time through they hit .295 (57-193) and third time through they hit .298 (39-131)...Posted a 4.36 ERA (37 ER, 76.1 IP) at home vs. a 4.80 ERA (32 ER, 60.0 IP) on the road...his 46 career starts at Petco Park (reg + Postseason), ranked T-fifth most with Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy...there have been 13 pitchers who have made at least 35 career starts in Petco Park history (reg + Postseason), and he ranks first in WHIP (1.02) and third in opponents’ AVG (.212) in downtown SD history...Darvish made three appearances (one start) for champion Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March...he pitched three innings against Team Korea on March 11, allowing three runs (2 ER) on three hits and no walks while striking out one batter...he was brought on in relief for Japan's March 16 win over Team Italy before pitching one inning in relief again in the WBC championship on Tuesday, March 21 vs. USA...Did not make his third consecutive Opening Day start due to his pitching commitments for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic...he finished his offseason by throwing roughly 80 pitches across five innings in Arizona in an intrasquad game on Opening Day, March 30...Made his season debut on April 4 vs. ARI and left the contest in line for his fifth consecutive winning decision vs. the D'Backs after five innings of one-run, three-hit ball...but the Padres bullpen surrendered seven runs as SD lost their opening homestand finale 8-6...it was the first of four consecutive starts without allowing a HR, T-second longest streak of his career, trailing just his five straight homerless starts accomplished twice (last: April 2-24, 2013 w/ TEX)...His first winning decision came in his fourth start on April 23 @ ARI, tossing 5.2 innings of two-hit, one-run ball despite a season-high five walks in SD’s 7-5 win...since going 0-2 with a 6.65 ERA vs. the D-backs in his five starts in 2021, Darvish went 5-1 in his eight starts vs. AZ from '22-23 with five quality outings, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and .178 opp. AVG...On April 30 vs. SF, allowed thee home runs in his fifth start of the season at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú's 7,349 feet of elevation in Mexico City...did not factor into SD’s 6-4 victory...Made his first of two starts vs. LAD on May 5, earning the win behind 6.2 innings of four-hit, two-run ball (1 ER) in SD’s 5-2 victory...his other start vs. LAD came on Aug. 4 (season-high- tying 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER) and he did not factor in SD’s 10-5 defeat...Darvish didn't face the Dodgers until the 2019 season, and since then, he posted nine quality outings in his 13 career starts vs. LAD (reg + Postseason)...among all active pitchers who made at least 10 career starts vs. LAD at the end of '23, his .170 opp. AVG and 0.85 WHIP both ranked first, while his 2.38 ERA ranked 2nd behind only Max Scherzer (2.34)...Made his first start vs. the Yankees since 2017 on May 28 at Yankee Stadium...his 2.2 IP tied for the second-shortest outing of his career in SD's 10-7 defeat...it was the fourth time he's been limited to exactly 2.2 IP, trailing only his career-low 1.2 IP on April 12, 2022 @ SF...it snapped his streak of 37 consecutive starts with at least 5.0 IP, the second-longest streak in Padres history behind only Bruce Hurst's 43 straight games across the 1990-91 seasons...the streak tied with Gerrit Cole for the third-longest such streak in the Majors since 2020, trailing only Max Fried's 50 straight such starts (June 6, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022) and Alek Manoah's 39 (August 23, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022)...The May 28 start @ NYY was the first of four vs. the AL East in ‘23 (1-3, 7.40 ERA) among all active pitchers who made at least 20 career starts vs. AL East opponents at the end of 2023, his 3.18 ERA vs. the division ranked fourth, trailing only TOR’s Alex Manoah (2.71), TB's Shane McClanahan (3.01) and BOS's Chris Sale (3.12)...On June 9 @ COL, Darvish became the seventh player to win their 100th career game in a SD uniform, and the first since Shawn Estes in 2008...the others are Rollie Fingers in 1980, Goose Gossage in ‘86, Ed Whitson in ‘89, Bruce Hurst in ‘89 and Eric Show in ‘90...Battled flu-like symptoms and did not make a start during the PIT, CIN or LAA series in late June/early July but avoided the Injured List...returned to the rotation after a 16-day absence on July 7 vs. NYM with five innings of seven-hit, three-run ball in SD's 7-5 extra-inning defeat...His six shutout innings of three-hit ball in his July 29 start vs. TEX marked just his second career start vs. his former club...he faced BAL on Aug. 14, the only other team he had just one career start against, and it was the first of a season-high three consecutive losing decisions to end his campaign...he's now made 4+ starts vs. every ML club except the Rangers and Orioles...Placed on the Paternity Leave List on August 23, with Blake Snell moving up in the rotation to pitch in his stead on Aug. 24 against the Guardians...was activated from the Paternity List on August 25, but he was placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 28 with right elbow inflammation (retro to Aug. 26)and did not pitch again in ’23...Per Statcast, relied on eight pitches in 2023: Sinker (18.6%), Sweeper (18.5%), Slider (17.5%), 4-Seam Fastball (16.6%), Curveball (11.7%), Cutter (9.1%), Split Finger (7.8%) and Changeup (0.1%)...Across the previous two seasons (2022-23), Darvish threw the third-most breaking balls (2,665) in MLB, trailing only Miles Mikolas (2,871) and Josiah Gray (2,676)...since the start of ’22, he has the fourth-highest spin rate (2,767 rpm) on breaking balls among all NL pitchers (min. 1,500 pitches), behind only Charlie Morton (3,079 rpm), Seth Lugo (3,054 rpm) and Corbin Burnes (2,796 rpm)...Opponents hit .259 (134-574) vs. Darvish but his xBA was .238, the highest xBA clip of his career in the Statcast era (since ’16)...His 82.1 zone contact % was also the highest of his career (since '16 in Statcast era), and higher than his 79.5 career zone contact %.
2022
Reached the 30-start plateau for the fifth time in his career and his second in as many seasons as a Padre...his 16 winning decisions matched his career high from his rookie 2012 season with TEX...he became one of 11 Padres and it's the 12th time an SD hurler posted 16+ winning decisions in a single campaign (Randy Jones had 20 wins in 1975 and a franchise-best 22 wins in ’76)...Threw at least 6.0 IP in 28 of his 30 outings, the most such outings in the NL and tied with NYY's Gerrit Cole for most in the Majors...his 14 7.0+ IP outings tied with Shane Bieber for third-most in MLB, behind only Sandy Alcantara (22) and Aaron Nola (15)...He led the NL with 25 quality starts, which tied TOR's Alex Manoah for 2nd-most in the Majors, behind only HOU's Framber Valdez's 26...the Padres staff finished the season with an NL-leading 84 quality starts, 10 behind HOU's 94 for most in the Majors…it was nine more quality outings than the next-closest NL team (PHI's 75)...Darvish's 0.950 WHIP was the lowest single-season WHIP in franchise history among all pitchers to have made at least 30 starts...only one other pitcher had a sub-1.00 WHIP across 30-or-more starts in a single season (Randy Jones’ 0.992 WHIP in ‘76)...Among all pitchers who have thrown at least 350.0 regular season innings in SD history, his 1.02 WHIP ranks 1st (361.0 IP), ahead of Trevor Hoffman (2nd, 1.04 WHIP in 952.1 IP) and rotation-mate Joe Musgrove (3rd, 1.08 in 362.1 IP)...Among all hurlers who have made at least 30 regular season starts in Petco Park history, he ranks 1st in opponents’ AVG (.201), and his 3.07 ERA at Petco ranks T-5th in the ballpark's history with Tim Stauffer, behind only Jake Peavy (2.75), Andrew Cashner (2.76), Joe Musgrove (2.84) and Chris Young (2.94)...Posted a 7.21 SO/9 IP ratio through his 1st 13 starts from April 7-June 20...in his 17 starts from June 26 on, he had a 10.50 SO/9 IP ratio...finished the regular season with a career-low 9.11 SO/9 IP ratio...the only other season he had a sub-10.00 SO/9 IP ratio was in 2017 (9.72)...He walked two-or-fewer in 27 of his 30 outings, and his 4.8 BB% was a career best (besides his 4.7 BB% in the shortened 2020 season) and ranked in the 90th percentile...After not reaching the 100+ pitch mark in any of his first seven starts, he's tossed 100+ in 16 of his final 23 starts from May 19 on...overall, he averaged 99.0 pitches per game, ranking 4th in the Majors among qualifying pitchers, behind only Sandy Alcantara (101.5), Corbin Burnes (99.2) and Gerrit Cole (99.2)...Yu has been active or on the DL/IL on Opening Day every season since he came into the majors in 2012 - active in 2012-13 & '17-22, and injured in 2014-16...Made his third career Opening Day start and second in a row on April 7 vs. ARI...he became the 5th starting pitcher in the modern era to go at least 5.0 innings and not allow a hit in his team’s 1st game of the season...the others: Bob Feller in 1940 (9.0 IP), Charlie Hough in 1985 (6.0), Nolan Ryan in 1990 (5.0), and Kevin Appier in 1995 (6.2)...After Sean Manaea’s hitless 7.0 innings the following night, the duo became the first pair of starting pitchers since 1893 (1st year of current mound distance) to not allow a hit in back-to-back starts to begin a season, and the 13.0 consecutive hitless IP was the longest hitless streak by any staff to start a season…the 13.0 consecutive hitless innings also tied the Padres franchise record at any point during a season by starting pitchers (also: April 7-10, 2021)..In his 2nd start of the season on April 12 @ SF, he allowed nine ER (second-most in his career) in the shortest outing of his career (1.2 IP)...remove that outing, and Darvish posted a 2.70 ERA (58 ER, 193.0 IP) across his other 29 starts in ‘22...With his fourth strikeout in his thid start of the campaign on April 17 vs. ATL, he recorded the 1,600th strikeout of his MLB career....with just 1032.1 IP, he became the fastest pitcher to 1,600 K’s by innings pitched...no other pitcher ever reached the milestone in fewer than 1350.0 IP...On June 13 at CHC, reached the 8.0 inning plateau for the 1st time as a Padre and earned the win in SD’s 4-1 victory…the Cubs were one of just three teams Darvish had yet to beat as a big leaguer, leaving the Orioles (0-1 in one start) and Rangers (0-0 in one start) as the only two teams left on his list...Darvish tossed 7.0 innings in four consecutive outings from July 9-27 as part of his 6 consecutive quality starts from July 9-Aug. 7...he also tossed 7.0+ IP in 4 consecutive outings from June 1-20, and the 6 quality consecutive quality starts was the 5th-longest streak of his career...He was 1 of 32 NL pitchers to make 13+ second half starts... among the group, he ranked second in BB/9 (1.56), T-3rd in WHIP (0.90), 4th in opponents' AVG (.199) and base runners allowed per 9 (8.44), 5th in H/9 (6.57), 7th in strikeouts (97) and T-7th in ERA (2.71)...He was tagged with the losing decision in three consecutive outings for the sixth time in his career from Aug 7-18...he's been saddled with the loss in four straight once, which came from Aug 30-Sept 14, 2013 (w/ TEX)...He was placed on the paternity leave list on Aug. 23 before being reinstated on Aug. 26…finished the regular season campaign with winning decisions in six of his final seven outings, including six in a row from Aug. 27-Sept. 24...it was one win shy of his career-best seven straight winning decisions from July 31-Sept. 4, 2020 (w/CHC)...Earned his second career NL Pitcher of the Month Award in Sept. (also: July/Aug. 2020) and he became the first Padres pitcher to earn monthly honors since Jake Peavy in Sept. of his 2007 NL Cy Young Award-winning season...across his six Sept. starts, he compiled a 5-1 record with a 1.85 ERA...he recorded 44 strikeouts against eight walks with 23 hits allowed in 39.0 innings pitched...On Sept. 2 @ LAD, he surpassed the 3,000 strikeout mark in his 17 professional seasons between Japan (2005-11, 1,250SO) and Major League Baseball (2012-22, 1,788 SO)...only one other pitcher has 3,000 strikeouts with at least 1,000 in each league: Hideo Nomo, currently an advisor for the Padres...In that Sept. 2 outing @ LAD, he posted his eighth career outing of at least 7.0-shutout innings while allowing 2 hits-or-fewer, and it was his third such outing this season (also: June 7 vs. NYM and Sept 13 @ SEA)...Posted his fourth career outing of 8.0+ shutout-innings with two hits allowed-or-fewer on Tues, Sept 13 @ SEA…it was his 1st such outing since May 9, 2014 vs. BOS with TEX...his only other outing with at least 8.0 shutout-IP with 2 hits-or-fewer with 0 walks was on April 2, 2013 @ HOU with TEX...Earned his first-career NL Player of the Week award on Monday, Sept 19...it was the second weekly award winner by a Padre in 2022 (also: Manny Machado on August 15)...in his two starts that week, he combined for 14.0 scoreless IP, allowing three hits and one BB with 15 SO...Posted a season-high 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings across parts of three starts from Sept. 7-18, tied for the 2ndlongest streak of his career (3x; one in April 2014 and the other in Aug-Sept, 2020)...those streaks trail only his 18.0 straight scoreless innings in April 2013...His 6.0 scoreless innings in his Sept 18 start @ ARI contributed to the Friars' 31.2 scoreless innings by SD starters from Sept 16-22...it was the longest scoreless streak by a starting staff in the Majors this season, and it was 1.2 IP shy of the club record (33.1 IP from July 28-Aug 1, 1984)...The Padres allowed just one run in four games from Sept 17-21, the first club to allow no more than one run over a four-game span while striking out 40+ batters in MLB history...In his 13 starts at home, Darvish's .188 home opp. AVG was T-5th lowest among all qualifying NL starters, while his 2.60 home ERA was the eighth-lowest in the NL...in 17 starts on the road, he had a .222 opp. AVG and a 3.50 ERA...He was one of just 8 NL pitchers to throw at least 180.0 IP this year...among the group, Darvish's 197 baserunners allowed and his 45 XBH allowed were the fewest in the NL…his 37 walks were 2nd-fewest, behind only Aaron Nola’s 29...Per Statcast, his most used pitched was his cutter (35.7%)... he threw the third-most cutters in the Majors (1,048), trailing only Corbin Burnes (1,818) and Cal Quantrill (1,053)...the 2,755 rpm spin rate on his cutter was third-highest in the Majors among all ML cutters, behind Jose Leclerc's (2,784 rpm) and Sonny Gray's (2,771 rpm)...While his 25.0 K% in the 66th percentile were both career lows, his 4.8 BB% in the 91st percentile were career-best marks (excluding the shortened 2020 season)...He had reverse splits in '22, limiting LHH to a .185 AVG while RHH batted .233…the .185 AVG to LHH was the fourth-lowest single season opponent clips to lefties (min. 400 batters faced) since 2015, trailing only CHC’s Jake Arrieta in ’15 (.159) and HOU’s Justin Verlander (.163) and Gerrit Cole (.175) in ’19...In the first two innings of his outings this season, he posted a 4.56 ERA (30 ER, 59.2 IP)...from innings 3-7, he posted a 2.27 ERA (33 ER, 131.0 IP)...he worked into the 8th 4 times (4.91 ERA) and into the ninth once (54.00)..Including the Postseason, Darvish posted seven quality outings in his 11 career starts vs. the Dodgers from 2019-22…among all active pitchers who have made at least 10 career starts vs. LAD entering 2023, his .181 opp. AVG ranks first and his 2.69 ERA (20 ER, 67.0 IP) ranks 6th. Made his first Postseason action since 2020, posting three quality outings in his four starts, going a combined 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA (8 ER, 25.0 IP) and a .217 opp. AVG...Tossed a Postseason career high 7.0 IP in both Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Oct 7 vs. the Mets and Game 1 of the NLCS on Oct. 18…he's one of five pitchers to throw 7.0 innings-or-more in a Postseason game, and it's now happened eight times overall, joining Joe Musgrove (Game 3 of the Wild Card Series on Oct 9 at NYM), Andy Ashby (Oct. 7, 1998 vs. ATL), Kevin Brown (3x, including a CG shutout on Oct. 8, 1998 vs. ATL) and Ed Whitson (Oct. 4, 1984 vs. CHC.)...His Postseason career-high 101 pitches thrown in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series vs. NYM was also one of nine 100+ pitch outings in Padres Postseason history...Kevin Brown threw 100+ pitches five times in '98...Chris Young did so once in 2006, and Musgrove threw 101 pitches to close out the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLDS and in Game 3 of the NLCS vs. PHI...All eight of his ER came on home runs, including seven solo shots across his first three starts and then a two-run HR off the bat of Rhys Hoskins in Game 5 of the NLCS on Oct. 23...Darvish’s 5.0 IP in Game 2 of the NLDS at LAD snapped a streak of 24 consecutive starts of 6.0 IP from May 19 @ PHI to Oct. 7 @ NYM.
2021
Reached the 30-start plateau for the 4th time in his career (also: 2013 w/ TEX, ‘17 w/ TEX & LAD and ‘19 with CHC)…earned his 5th career All-Star selection, one of five Padres to represent SD but did not travel to Denver due to injury (left hip inflammation)...Ranked 2nd on the staff behind Joe Musgrove in a multitude of categories, including starts (30), innings pitched (166.1) and strikeouts (199)...His 10.77 SO/9 IP was the highest in a single season in franchise history among all qualifying pitchers...His 4.65 SO/BB ratio was the third-highest in franchise history, trailing only Kevin Brown in 1998 (5.24) and David Wells in 2004 (5.05)…his 1.09 WHIP was T-11th lowest full season WHIP in franchise history...Beginning with his second start April 6 vs. SF, Darvish strung together five consecutive starts of at least 6.0 IP and one earned run-or-fewer from April 6-30, one of just eight pitchers in 2021 to put together such a streak (also: Max Scherzer, Kyle Gibson, Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler, Brandon Woodruff, Triston McKenzie and Kevin Gausman- Gausman had a 6-game streak)...it was the 2nd-longest such streak of his career, behind only his seven consecutive starts of one earned-or-fewer across 6.0 IP+ in 2020 (July 31-Sept. 4)...He had a 2.44 ERA through his first 16 starts...in his 14 starts after July 1, he posted a 6.65 ERA...the +4.21 ERA differential among all ML pitchers who threw at least 60.0 IP prior to July 1 and 60.0 IP from July 1 through the end of the season was 10th all-time, trailing only STL's Luis Arroyo in 1955 (+5.28), and the highest since KC’s Jason Vargas in 2016…prior to Darvish and Vargas, the highest such ERA increase was DET’s Jeff Weaver in 1999 (+4.44)...Darvish went 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA in July, the highest ERA in a single calendar month in his entire career...He made two starts and went 2-0 during the Padres' 9-0 perfect homestand from May 14-23, tossing a combined 14.0 innings of one run ball, striking out 15 and walking none...his 4 H/10 SO/0 BB performance on 5/17 vs. COL preceded Musgrove's 2 H/11 SO/0 BB outing 2 days later, marking the 1st series in SD history in which 2 starters...threw 7.0 innings while allowing four hits-or-fewer with 0 BB and 10+ SO...Also, vs. COL on May 17, Darvish became the 2nd NL pitcher to throw 7.0+ shutout innings with 10+ SO on fewer than 85 pitches since pitches were first tracked in 1988... the other was ATL's Greg Maddux on Sept. 23, 2000 (also exactly 81 pitches)...On June 21 vs. LAD, he earned his 7th win of the season and became the 1st Padre to strike out 7-or-more consecutive batters in a game since Jake Peavy on Aug. 27, 2007, vs. ARI (also 7 strikeouts)...it was his 197th career game (all starts), and he became the 1st player in ML history to reach 1,500 strikeouts in fewer than 200 games...he was also the fastest in terms of innings pitched (1,216.1)...Made his 200th career start in his 1st start following the All-Star break on 7/8 vs. WSH, his 1,517 strikeouts through his 1st 200 starts were 4th-most all-time, trailing only Chris Sale (1,628), Pedro Martinez (1,600) and Nolan Ryan (1,574)...His final winning decision came Sept. 8 vs. LAA...it was his first winning decision since June 21 vs. LAD, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive starts between winning decisions (0-7, 6.84 ERA)...Darvish’s 13th and final quality start of the campaign came on Sept. 18 at STL in SD’s 3-2 defeat, marking the 22nd time in his career he tossed 7.0+ shutout-innings, and just the sixth time he did not factor into a win...On Sept. 13 at SF, he allowed eight earned runs, which were the second-most of his career, behind only the 10 ER he allowed on July 26, 2017, vs. MIA while with TEX...the four HR tied for the most he's surrendered in a single outing, with the other four HR outing also coming off the bats of the Giants on Aug. 21, 2019...the Giants jumped on Yu early on Sept. 13, to the tune of five earned runs in the first frame, the most he's allowed in a 1st inning in his career (previous was four multiple times)...Posted a 3.38 ERA at home with 6.75 H/9 compared to a 5.54 ERA with 8.58 H/9 on the road…since he began his ML career with TEX in 2012, among all pitchers who have tossed at least 500.0 IP in away games, only Clayton Kershaw (6.86) and Max Scherzer (6.89) have allowed fewer H/9.0 IP on the road than Darvish (7.06)...His 4.38 run support average was 8th-lowest in the majors and seventh-lowest in the NL among all qualifying pitchers…he received no runs of support in five of his 30 starts, one-or-fewer 11 times and two or-fewer on 19 occasions...On one-pitch at-bats, opponents hit .411 (23-56) vs. Darvish… with two strikes, they hit .137 (51-373)...The 2513 rpm spin rate on his fastball ranked in the 99thpercentile, with opponents hitting .153 (18-118) off it with a 34.3% whiff rate...Relied on six pitches: Cutter (24%), Slider (23%), 4-Seam Fastball (22%), Sinker (8%), Curveball (8%) and Split Finger (5%).
2020
Finished 2nd behind Trevor Bauer in the NL Cy Young race, going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA (17 ER/76.0 IP) in 12 starts, including 10 quality starts...he struck out 93 batters and walked just 14, good for a 6.64 SO/BB ratio...Among NL pitchers, he ranked 1st in wins, 2nd in ERA and SO/BB ratio, 3rd in IP, T-4th in SO and 4th in WHIP (0.96)....Earned NL Pitcher of the Month honors for July-August, going 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA (7 ER/43.0 IP) in 7 starts, striking out 52 batters and walking just 8...Allowed 1 run-or-fewer in 8 of his 12 starts...tied for the ML lead with 10 quality starts...Notched 3 double-digit strikeout games, including 2 games with 11 punch outs... Won a career-high 7-straight games in 7 outings from July 31-Sept. 4, posting a 0.98 ERA (5 ER, 46.0 IP) during that time frame, as well as an opp. AVG of .186 (30-for-161), a strikeout rate of 11.35 per nine innings (58 total strikeouts), and 8 walks...Notched his 1,300th-career strikeout May 25 vs. MIL, becoming the fastest pitcher in ML history to reach the mark, both by batters faced (4,360) and IP (1,052.0)
POSTSEASON: Saddled with the loss in Game 2 of the Wild Card series vs. MIA, getting no runs of support across his 6.2 IP of 5-hit, 2-run ball in CHC's 2-0 defeat.
2019
Yu had a dominant second half of the season, posting a 2.76 ERA (25 ER/81.2 IP) with 118 strikeouts in 13 starts following the All-Star break...overall, went 6-8 with a 3.98 ERA (79 ER/178.2 IP) in a team-high tying 31 starts in his second season with Chicago...Led all Cubs pitchers with 229 strikeouts (tied for seventh-most in the N.L.)...had six games with at least 10 strikeouts, the most by a Cub since Mark Prior had six such games in 2005...Struck out a single-game franchise-record eight-straight batters, September 17 vs. Cincinnati, beginning with a strikeout of Sonny Gray in the second...In his final three starts of the season, struck out a combined 39 batters, including a season-high 14 strikeouts, September 12 at San Diego...Became the first Cub since at least 1908 to record 12-or-more strikeouts in three-straight starts...Limited opponents to a .213 average and a .284 OBP...allowed five or fewer hits in 22 of his 31 starts...however, allowed a career-high 33 homers...Was 2-4 with a 5.01 ERA (54 ER/97.0 IP) in 18 starts prior to the All-Star Break...Did not allow a walk in a career-high five-straight starts, July 30-August 21, the first Cubs starting pitcher to do so since Bill Faul, July 25-August 14, 1965 (five-straight starts)...became the only MLB player since 1893 with at least eight strikeouts and no walks in five-straight games...thanks to Elias..Walked two-or-fewer batters in a career-high 18-straight starts from June 10 through season's end...led the majors with a 12.58 SO/BB ratio during that span (151 SO/12 BB)...prior to June 10, had a 1.77 SO/BB ratio (78 SO/44 BB), which was the sixth-worst mark in the majors during that span...Finished August 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA (12 ER/31.1 IP) in five starts, striking out 42 and walking just one...became just the fourth pitcher in the last 126 seasons since 1893 to strike out 40 or more and walk no more than one batter in a month...Joins Cliff Lee (54 SO, 1 BB in September 2013), Jeff Samardzija (49 SO, 1 BB in May 2017) and Corey Kluber (41 SO, 1 BB in May 2018)...Recorded consecutive outings of 6.0-scoreless innings, July 12-17...marked the third time in his career he accomplished the feat (April 6-11, 2014 and April 19-24, 2013)...earned his first-career win at Wrigley Field, July 17 vs. the Reds...Took a no-decision in a career-high and club-record 10-straight starts, May 4-June 21...marked the longest streak by a starting pitcher (excluding openers) since Philadelphia's Randy Lerch took 10-straight no-decisions, May 21-July 7, 1977.
2018
Yu made eight starts for Chicago before his season ended due to injury, as he landed on the 10-day D.L., May 26 (retroactive to May 23), with right triceps tendinitis ... went 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA (22 ER/40.0 IP) in his first season with the Cubs, walking 21 and striking out 49 ... Made his Cubs debut, March 31 at the Marlins, allowing five runs in 4.1 innings ... walked two and struck out four ... Pitched 5.0 scoreless innings after allowing one unearned run in the first inning of the Cubs' 3-2 win over the Brewers, April 27 ... also hit his second-career double in the fifth inning, his first hit with the Cubs ... Was on the 10-day D.L. from May 4-15 due to parainfluenza virus ... returned with 4.0 innings of work, allowing one run, May 15 in Atlanta, departing the game due to a leg cramp ... Earned the win his final start of the season, May 20 at Cincinnati ... allowed one run in 6.0 innings, walking three and striking out seven ... would be placed on the disabled list six days later with right triceps tendinitis ... Made a rehab appearance with Single-A South Bend, June 25, and allowed one run in 5.0 innings ... experienced elbow discomfort during the outing and was shut down ... Had a second rehab appearance with South Bend, August 18, and departed after 1.0 inning ... an exam the following day showed a stress reaction to the tip of his right elbow, as well as a triceps strain, and he was shut down for the remainder of the season ... Underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right elbow, September 12, performed by Dr. Keith Meister.
2017
Yu made 31 starts between the Rangers and Dodgers, his most games started since a career-high 32 games in 2013 ... went a combined 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA (80 ER/186.2 IP) and 209 strikeouts, his third season with at least 200 strikeouts... Limited righties to a .194 average, the seventh-lowest mark in the majors ... overall held opponents to a .228 average, the 13th-best mark in the majors... Acquired by the Dodgers at the July 31 trade deadline in a four-player trade with the Texas Rangers … went 4-3 in nine starts with Los Angeles, posting a 3.44 ERA (19 ER/49.2 IP) and struck out 61 batters against 13 walks … held hitters to a .235 average and posted a 1.15 WHIP... Went 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA (1 ER/19.1 IP) in his final three regular season starts, striking out 21 batters against just one walk... Notched his 1,000th-career strikeout, September 8 vs. Colorado ... became the fastest pitcher to reach the mark both in terms of games (128) and innings pitched (812.0 IP). © In 15 starts on the road, he went 6-4 with a 2.44 ERA (25 ER/92.1 IP) and struck out 105 batters against just 28 walks... In 22 starts with the Rangers, he went 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA (61 ER/137.0 IP) and limited the opposition to a .225 average, while punching out 148 batters against 45 walks... Selected to the A.L. All-Star team for the fourth time in his career, most by a pitcher in Rangers history ... was not eligible to pitch in the game since he started Texas' game on the Sunday prior to the All-Star break... Went 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA (10 ER/14.2 IP) in four postseason starts ... was 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA (2 ER/11.1 IP) in his first two postseason outings, including collecting the win in NLCS Game Three at Wrigley Field (6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER) ... however, he allowed eight earned runs in 3.1 IP in two World Series starts.
2016
Darvish returned to the mound for the first time since 2014, but was limited to 17 starts due to a pair of disabled list stints as he returned from 'Tommy John' surgery on 3/17/14… finished 7-5, 3.41 (38 ER/100.1 IP) in 17 starts with Texas, posting a 1.116 WHIP along with 31 BB/132 SO…averaged 11.8 SO/9, and his 4.25 SO/BB ratio was easily the best in any season in his career…produced 3 of his 4 highest game scores (baseball-reference.com) in September…among pitchers with at least 50.0 innings after the All-Star break, Darvish's 12.01 SO/9 (113 SO/84.2 IP) ranked 2nd in MLB to only ARI's Robbie Ray (12.04). SUMMAR
2015
Missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery March 17...left his Spring Training start March 5 vs. Kansas City with right triceps tightness...Surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla...the ligament in Darvish’s elbow was replaced with the Palmaris tendon from his right forearm.
2014
Despite making just 22 starts and missing the last seven weeks of the season due to right elbow inflammation, Darvish was selected Rangers Pitcher of the Year for a 2nd straight season...led the team in strikeouts (182, 10th in A.L.) and quality starts (14), and tied for club lead in wins (10) in his 3rd MLB season...also ranked among team leaders in complete games (T1st, 2), innings (2nd, 144.1), and starts (T3rd)...opponents batted career-high .241 (133-551), but hit just .180 (24-133) with RISP, 2nd-lowest in A.L. and 3rd in MLB (CIN's Johnny Cueto-.161, BAL's Bud Norris-.173) among pitchers with 145+ BF.
2013
Was the Rangers Pitcher of the Year…led the majors with 277 strikeouts, the highest total in the American League since 2000, and 11.89 strikeouts per 9.0 innings…allowed the A.L.'s lowest opponents batting average (.194) and fewest hits per 9.0 innings (6.22), ranked 3rd among league qualifiers in fewest baserunners per 9.0 innings (10.00) and was 4th in earned run average (2.83), 6th lowest in team history, and WHIP (1.07)…also led the Rangers in wins (13) and finished 2nd in innings (204.0) and starts (31)...Opened the season by going 7-1, 2.97 (20 ER/60.2 IP) in his first 9 starts through May 16…was the Rangers April Player of the Month at 5-1, 2.33 over 6 starts while tying the club record for wins in that month…went 5-0, 3.07 (14 ER/41.0 IP) over 6 games from April 19-May 16, the longest winning streak of his career. Posted a 1-3 record and 3.07 ERA (20 ER/58.2 IP) over his next 9 starts from May 21-July 6 with lone victory in that span coming on June 30 vs. CIN…was on DL for next 15 days (see next page) but returned to go 4-1, 1.31 (5 ER/34.1 IP) over 5 outings from July 22-Aug. 12…went 0-4, 3.38 (15 ER/40.0 IP) over his next 6 starts, his longest ML losing streak, before winning on Sept. 19 at TB…was 1-0, 3.38 (6 ER/16.0 IP) over last 3 starts, pitching less than 6.0 innings in all 3 games…overall, was 5-5, 2.59 in 14 starts after the All-Star break... Pitched at least 6.0 no-hit innings 3 times, matching the Mets' Matt Harvey for the most in the majors…retired the first 26 batters in season debut on April 2 at HOU before Marwin Gonzalez's single…fanned 14 in his 8.2 innings before Michael Kirkman recorded final out…was the first Ranger to ever lose a no-hitter as late as 8.2 innings, first in the majors to do so since Detroit's Armando Galarraga on June 2, 2010 vs. CLE…San Francisco's Yusmeiro Petit (Sept. 6 vs. ARI) and St. Louis' Michael Wacha (Sept. 24 vs. WSH) also lost no hitters with 2 outs in the 9th in 2013...Tossed 5.2 perfect innings and 7.1 no-hit innings with 15 strikeouts on Aug. 12 at HOU, settling for a combined one-hitter w/ Joe Nathan (1.0 IP)…only hit was solo HR to Carlos Corporan w/ one out in 8th…is only ML pitcher since 1900 to win 2 games in a career (April 2 at HOU & Aug. 12 at HOU) w/ 14+ K's, one-or-zero hits, and one-or-zero BB…is also first pitcher in expansion era (since 1961) with multiple no-hit bids of 7+ IP against same team in a season…the only other pitcher since 1900 to have a 15-strikeout game with a home run as only hit allowed was Boston's Pedro Martinez on 9/10/99 at NYY…the last Texas pitcher to have 2 no-hitters broken up in 8th-or-later in same season was Ryan in 1989 with 5 (Elias Sports Bureau).
2012
Went 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA (83 ER/191.1 IP) in 29 games/starts with Texas in his major league debut...led all ML first-year pitchers with 221 strikeouts and 191.1 innings while ranking T1st in wins...set club records for wins and strikeouts by a rookie...overall, had the A.L.'s 3rd-lowest opponents' batting average (.220), 2ndbest strikeouts per 9.0 innings ratio (10.4), and also ranked among the league leaders in strikeouts (5th), walks (4th, 89), wins (T6th), and winning percentage (7th, .640)...on the Rangers' staff, was first in strikeouts and opponents' batting average and 2nd in earned run average (3.90), wins, starts (29), and innings...joined Cleveland's Herb Score in 1955 as the only rookies in A.L. history with at least 16 wins and 210 strikeouts in a season, just the 5th such rookie in the modern era (since1900)...ALL-STAR: Was selected to the A.L. All-Star team by virtue of winning the final man voting with over 7.3 million votes...did not pitch in the July 10 game at KC...was the 9th Japanese player selected to the All-Star Game and 2nd starting pitcher, joining the Dodgers' Hideo Nomo, who was also selected as a rookie in 1995.
WINS: Tied Arizona's Wade Miley for tops among ML rookies with 16 victories, matching the Yankees' Ivan Nova (16 in 2011) for the most by an A.L. rookie since Detroit's Justin Verlander had 17 in 2006...joined Miley as just the 7th and 8th rookies with 16+ wins since 1990...was the first season with more than one ML rookie with 16+ wins since 1984 (Dwight Gooden and Mark Langston-17 each)...previous club record for wins by a rookie was 12 on 3 occasions, last by Chris Young in 2005...was the 5th time a native of Japan (first rookie) has recorded as many as 16 victories in a season: 18 by Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2008, and 16 for Nomo in 1996, 2002, and 2003...earned 16 victories in his first 28 ML starts, best ever for a Ranger...was 10-2, 3.88 in 14 starts at Rangers Ballpark, tying for 3rd in the A.L. in home victories, the most by a Ranger since C.J. Wilson (11) in 2010...won all 3 starts against A.L.-champion Detroit, the first rookie with as many as 3 wins vs. the Tigers since Seattle's Freddy Garcia and Toronto's Roy Halladay were both 3-0 in 1999...won both starts against the National League...had 10 wins at All-Star break, 2 more than any other rookie in club history...STRIKEOUTS: Fanned 221 batters, matching the 5th-highest total in club history and most since 1990 (Nolan Ryan-232; Bobby Witt-221)...previous team rookie mark was 189 by Edwin Correa in 1986...tied the 7th-most for a ML rookie since 1900, the most since the Cubs' Kerry Wood (233) in 1998...are the 2nd-most ever for an A.L. rookie behind Herb Score (245) in 1955...recorded his 200th strikeout in his 27th game on Sept. 14 vs. SEA, tying the 4th-fewest outings since 1918 for a pitcher to reach 200 career K's: 23-Nomo and Wood; 25-Dwight Gooden; 27-Mark Prior...had his 100th career strikeout in 15th game on June 26 vs. DET, fewest contests ever for a Ranger...had 2 streaks of exactly 5 straight starts of 7+ strikeouts (April 24-May 16; Aug. 1-28), first pitcher in Rangers history with multiple 5-game streaks in one season...no Ranger had posted 7+ K's in 5 straight since 1990 (Ryan and Witt)...Recorded 10-or-more strikeouts 8 times, the most in the majors in 2012 and matching Nolan Ryan in 1990 for the 2nd-most in club history behind Ryan's 18 in 1989...also ranked 2nd in the majors...with 12 games of 9+ K's and 15 games of 8+ K's (tied with Mets' R.A. Dickey), trailing only Detroit's Max Scherzer in both categories...was 3rd ML pitcher since 1918 with at least 8 games of 10+ K's in first 24 career games (Nomo/Gooden-10 each)...fanned high of 11 batters 4 times: May 6 at CLE, June 15 at HOU, July 1 vs. OAK and July 21 at LAA...registered at least one strikeout in 14 consecutive innings pitched, June 20-July 1, the longest streak by a Ranger since Ugueth Urbina (14, June 18-July 9, 2003) and the longest by a ML rookie since Atlanta's Brandon Beachy (16, Sept. 7-24, 2011)...recorded 111 strikeouts in Arlington, 2nd-highest single-season figure ever by a pitcher at Rangers Ballpark (Aaron Sele-115 in 1999)...his 110 K's on the road were 5th-most in Rangers history...INNINGS AND RUNS: His 191.1 innings were the 3rd-most ever by a Ranger rookie behind Mike Smithson (223.1 in 1983) and Edwin Correa (202.1 in 1986)...worked 7.0-or-more innings 13 times with a high of 8.1 frames on April 24 vs. NYY...pitched 7.0+ innings in final 6 and 11 of last 16 outings...issued 2-or-fewer runs 11 times with shutout performances on April 24 vs. NYY (8.1 IP) and Aug. 28 vs. TB (7.0 IP).
2011
Went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA (37 ER/232.0 IP) for Hokkaido in his final season in Japan...the 1.44 ERA was the lowest of his career, as he also posted career highs in wins (18), strikeouts (276), innings (232.0), starts (28), and shutouts (6)...matched career low with 5 HR allowed (also 2010)...led NPB in strikeouts, innings, opponents average (.190), shutouts (tied), home runs per 9 innings (0.19), opponents OBP (.229), and opponents slugging (.241)...the opponents OBP and slugging figures were career lows...ranked among circuit leaders in ERA (2nd), complete games (2nd), strikeout/walk ratio (3rd, 7.67), and wins (T3rd)... tossed at least 7.0 innings in every outing last season, with his lone outing of more than 3 runs coming in his first start...his career-low run support average of 3.10 runs per nine innings ranked 23rd out of NPB's 33 qualifying pitchers...received one or zero runs of support in four of his six defeats.
2010
Went 12-8 with a 1.78 ERA (40 ER/202.0 IP) in 26 games/25 starts...his 5 HR allowed matched a career low (also 2011)...the 8 losses were a career high, as he received 2-runs-or-less of support in 7 of those 8 defeats...opponents batted .216 (158-733)...led all NPB pitchers in ERA for a 2nd straight year, and also had most strikeouts (222) and complete games (10)...had circuit's lowest average of HR per 9 innings (0.22) and opponents slugging pct. (.273)...ranked among NPB leaders in opponents average (2nd), strikeouts per 9 innings (2nd, 9.89), opponents OBP (3rd, .268), SO/BB ratio (3rd, 4.72), and quality starts (T3rd, 21)... posted 12 consecutive quality starts from April 24-July 17, went 6- 4 with a 1.14 ERA (12 ER/95.0 IP)...Hokkaido finished 4th in the PL and did not make the postseason.
2009
Was named Pacific League MVP, his 2nd such honor (also 2007), becoming just the 10th pitcher in the history of Japanese professional baseball to win multiple MVP awards...was also named to PL Best Nine...went 15- 5, 1.73 (35 ER/182.0 IP) in 23 games/starts, with the ERA being 2nd-lowest figure of his career...opponents batted .186 (118-635), best in NPB...also had circuit's lowest opponents OBP (.246) and slugging (.263) figures...his 0.45 home runs per 9 innings was best among qualifiers...also ranked among NPB leaders in ERA (2nd), wins (T4th), strikeouts (5th, 167), and quality starts (T6th, 20)...allowed more than 3 runs just twice: July 8 at Saitama (4) and Aug. 21 at Fukuoka (6)...in the latter contest, he matched a career high by allowing 2 home runs, also the last time he permitted multiple home runs in a NPB contest...named PL Monthly MVP in May after going 4-0, 0.90 (4 ER/40.0 IP) in 5 starts...allowed career-high 19 steals...his only postseason outing was a win in Japan Series Game 2 on Nov. 1 vs. Yomiuri at Sapporo Dome (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 RER), but his club would lose the series 4-games-to-2...Hokkaido won the Pacific League, giving them a first-round bye, and Darvish did not pitch in the "season stage" against Tohoku...WBC: Went 2-1, 2.08 (3 ER/13.0 IP) in 5 games/2 starts for Japan in the World Baseball Classic...opponents batted .156 (7-45) with no extra-base hits, 6 walks, and 20 strikeouts...started the Pool A opener on March 5 vs. China at Tokyo Dome, a 4-0 win (4.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 SO)...pitched scoreless relief inning (no decision) of 1-0 loss on March 9 vs. South Korea, but his club still advanced...took loss in start on March 17 vs. South Korea (5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R-2 ER), a 4-1 defeat at PETCO Park, his only Round 2 appearance...was on the mound to finish Japan wins in both the semifinals and finals on March 22-23 at Dodger Stadium...retired Derek Jeter (groundout), David Wright (K swinging), and Adam Dunn (K looking) in the 9th inning to complete a 9-4 win over the U.S. in the semis...in finals, once again vs. South Korea, gave up game-tying single in the 9th, but tossed a scoreless bottom of the 10th to earn the 5-3 win after Ichiro Suzuki's 2-run single in the top half of the frame.
2008
Went 16-4, 1.88 (42 ER/200.2 IP) in 25 games/24 starts, the 2ndhighest win total of his career...was named the PL Monthly MVP 3 times: March (1-0, 18.0 scoreless innings), April (4-0, 1.54), and September (5-0, 1.29)...won a Pacific League Golden Glove Award for a second straight year...opposition hit .195 (136-696) with a .252 OBP, both lowest in NPB...ranked among leaders in ERA (2nd), strikeouts (2nd, 208), opponents SLG (2nd, .283), wins (3rd), SO/BB ratio (4th, 4.73), quality starts (T4th w/ Colby Lewis, 21), and HR per 9 (6th, 0.49)...allowed more than 3 runs just 3 times all year...his ERA climbed above 2.00 just twice all season...won 5 straight starts both June 17-July 17 and Sept. 2-29...won both postseason starts, both complete game efforts in which he did not permit an earned run (18.0 IP)...won in first round Game 1 at Orix, a 4-1 victory as Hokkaido won that series 2-games-to-none...also won second round Game 2 at Saitama 5-0, but his club would lose the series 3-games-to-2...took a leave to represent Japan at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, going 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA (4 ER/7.0 IP) and 10 strikeouts in 3 games/one start...pitched in relief twice against a U.S. squad that included former Ranger Taylor Teagarden, including in the bronze medal game that Japan lost.
2007
Won his lone career Eiji Sawamura Award, which honors the top starting pitcher in NPB, and was named Pacific League MVP... named to PL's Best Nine, won a Golden Glove Award, and was named an All-Star, all of which were career firsts...went 15-5, 1.82 (42 ER/207.2 IP) in 26 games/starts in what was his first career 200-strikeout season...opponents batted career-low .174 (123-706) as he posted career-best 12 complete games, both the top figures in NPB...also led all pitchers with 210 K's, .241 opponents OBP, and .246 SLG against...his 26 starts and 207.2 innings rank as 2nd-most of his career...ranked among NPB leaders in HR/9 (2nd, 0.39), innings (3rd), wins (T4th), and quality starts (T5th, 20)...beginning July 6, went 9-1, 1.16 (12 ER/93.0 IP) over his final 12 starts...was named PL Monthly MVP in August (5-0, 1.35)... Hokkaido repeated as PL champions in manager Trey Hillman's final season, and received a bye...club then beat Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines in the second round, 3-games-to-2, with Darvish winning starts in Games 1 (CG, 9.0 IP, 2 R-ER) and 5 (6.2 IP, 1 R-ER)...he earned the club's lone win in a Japan Series rematch vs. Chunichi, going the distance in Game 1 at Sapporo Dome in a 3-1 victory (9.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 3 BB, 13 SO)...he took the 1-0 loss in decisive Game 5 (7.0 IP), a contest in which Nippon Ham was blanked on a combined perfect game...would pitch for a Japan team that won Gold Medal at the Asian Baseball Championship in Taiwan in December.
2006
Went 12-5 with a 2.89 ERA (48 ER/149.2 IP) in 25 games/24 starts in his first full season with Hokkaido, as club won its first Japan Series title since 1961...he posted the 6th-best ERA in the PL, 2nd on his club behind Tomoya Yagi (2.48)...his 12 wins tied Yagi for the team lead and ranked T5th in the PL...opponents hit .237...he was 5-1, 1.03 (7 ER/61.1 IP) in 9 games/8 starts at Sapporo Dome...allowed a career-high 12 HR for the season...lost 5 of his first 7 decisions...beginning May 18, went 11-1, 2.34 (28 ER/107.2 IP) over his final 18 games/17 starts...made 3 starts in the postseason, going 2-1, 2.01 (5 ER/22.1 IP)...started club's first postseason game, which came in second round due to bye for the PL champions...earned 3-1 win vs. Fukuoka at Sapporo Dome on Oct. 11 (CG, 9.0 IP, 7 H, 1 RER) and Hokkaido would win both games to take the series...took loss in Game 1 of Japan Series at Chunichi, giving up a 2-0 lead in that contest (6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R-ER) in a 4-2 defeat...was brought back 5 days later for Game 5 at Sapporo Dome, earning the 4-1 win to clinch the title for Hokkaido...with his victory in that series' Game 5, he became just the 5th pitcher in NPB history to win a Japan Series game prior to turning 21 years old...was the Asian Series MVP in Hokkaido's win over Taiwan's La New Bears following the Japan Series.
2005
Made his NPB debut at the age of 18 on June 15 vs. Hiroshima at Sapporo Dome (W, 8.0 IP, 9 H, 2 R-ER)...gave up back-to-back solo HR in the 9th, but became the 12th pitcher in NPB history to earn a win in a pro debut as a rookie straight out of high school...pitched his first complete game in a 3-0 loss on Aug. 6 vs. Seibu at Sapporo...posted first career shutout in penultimate regular season start at Sapporo on Sept. 18 vs. Tohoku (9.0 IP, 2 H), becoming only the 14th pitcher in NPB history to throw a complete game shutout as a rookie out of high school.
