Yu Darvish became the first Japanese pitcher to reach 2,000 MLB strikeouts, helping the San Diego Padres get closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Darvish achieved the milestone when striking out Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. in the third inning of the Padres’ 4-2 victory at home on Sunday.
“That’s a heck of a milestone,” Padres manager Mike Shildt remarked. “He has 2,000 major league strikeouts and, I believe, over 3,100 in his overall professional career. That is extremely impressive. It’s a significant number, 2,000 in your Major League Baseball career, and it’s rarefied air.”
The Padres were hoping to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday, but were forced to wait due to other games’ results.
Darvish is in his 13th season in North America, having previously played for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and the Padres. He has four seasons with at least 200 strikeouts and nearly reached that mark in 2021 and 2022, ending with 199 and 197, respectively.
He spent the first seven years of his professional career in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. The right-hander was one of Japan’s best pitchers during his stint in the NPB, with 1,250 strikeouts. Darvish has four 200-strikeout seasons in Japan, while playing less games per year than in the MLB.
Darvish helped the Fighters win two Pacific League pennants and the 2006 Japan Series. In 2007, he received the Sawamura Award as Japan’s best pitcher, and in 2009, he was named Pacific League MVP.
Darvish pitched 6⅓ innings against the White Sox, striking out nine and giving two runs on three hits. He was not involved in the decision. Darvish is 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 76⅓ innings this season, despite losing time due to a neck ailment, groin strain, and an extended spell on the restricted list for personal reasons.
“He’s been great,” Shildt said. “He wanted to go out there and get a little bit of that seventh (inning) and keep building up. So we let him take the righty, and he repaid us. “I thought he was fantastic.”
The loss dropped the White Sox to 36-120, matching the contemporary MLB record for futility in a single season. The 1962 New York Mets are the only other club to have lost 120 games since 1900. To avoid taking exclusive custody of the mark, Chicago must end the season on a six-game winning run.
San Diego begins its quest for a postseason place on Tuesday, but it has a bigger goal in mind.
The Padres will face the Los Angeles Dodgers and the red-hot Shohei Ohtani in a three-game road series, with a sweep allowing them to take first place in the NL West division. San Diego is three games back in the race and has the tiebreaker against the Dodgers.
On Sunday, Ohtani and Mookie Betts smashed back-to-back single home runs in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a dramatic 6-5 walk-off victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Ohtani also swiped two bases to round out his record 50-50 season. In 2024, the National League MVP favourite will have 53 home runs and 55 stolen bases. The Japanese star is batting.301.
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