Yu Darvish is one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB to have come from Japan. The five-time MLB All-Star has stood the test of time since his U.S. debut for the Texas Rangers back in 2012 at age 25. He turned 39 years old on 16th August 2025.Since Darvish's MLB debut, the league has seen an influx of Japanese talent that have both thrived and floundered in the majors. But Darvish has remained as a steadfast presence, especially for the powerhouse teams that he has pitched for, such as the aforementioned Rangers, the Dodgers, the Cubs, and presently, the Padres.Although he is yet to find his best form this year, given that he's only had seven outings due to an injury, Darvish's leadership has been crucial to the Friars' fight atop the NL West standings. He has so far tallied a 2-3 record with a 5.61 ERA and 29 strikeouts for the now division leading Padres.Just to highlight his dominance in more than a decade with MLB, Darvish became the first pitcher in league history to record 1,500 strikeouts in under 200 games.Yu Darvish is a baseball icon in JapanBefore plying his trade stateside, Yu Darvish lit up Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. As an amateur, Darvish attended Tohoku High School in Sendai, Japan, a school famous for producing MLB talents such as former Mariner Kazuhiro Sasaki and Dodger Takashi Saito.His 1.10 ERA during his high school years earned him a look from both Major League and NPB scouts. He eventually stayed in Japan after being selected by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the 2004 NPB draft.On June 15, 2005, Darvish made his debut against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and even carried a no-hitter until the eighth inning before surrendering to home runs in the ninth. This spectacular performance led to his first professional victory as a pitcher, and was a preview for the world of what was to come. On September 8 of the same year, Yu Darvish became just the 14th pitcher in NPB history to record a compelete game shutout, in a contest against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.His run of dominance in the succeeding years earned him two Pacific League MVPs, the Eiji Sawamura Award, five NPB All-Star selections, and a Japan Series title with the Fighters in 2006. Yu Darvish left NPB with an absurd 98-38 record, 1.99 ERA, and 1,250 strikeouts across seven seasons before signing with the Rangers ahead of the 2012 MLB campaign.