Padres’ Yu Darvish reaches 2,000 career strikeouts, with plenty more still to come.

Padres veteran Yu Darvish becomes the first Japanese-born pitcher to reach the 2,000 strikeout milestone. His season was disrupted by several injuries, including a neck issue in April, a groin injury that landed him on the injured list, and an elbow problem, along with a personal matter that kept him away for over three months. Despite these setbacks, Darvish has thrown just 76⅓ innings this season, and as the final stretch approaches, he appears to be gaining strength.

“I think that might be the case,” Darvish said through his interpreter, Shingo Horie. The results speak for themselves. In the Padres’ 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox, Darvish delivered another strong performance, pitching 87 pitches, allowing two runs on three hits, and striking out nine. This pushed him past the 2,000 strikeout mark, making him the first Japanese-born pitcher to do so in the majors. Although his career win total remains at 202 (109 in MLB, 93 in Japan), just shy of Hiroki Kuroda’s record, Darvish expressed his gratitude: “It shows how long I’ve been in the game. It doesn’t happen by accident, and I’m grateful for all the support along the way.”

Yu Darvish’s journey to 2,000 strikeouts began with over 200 strikeouts in two of his first three MLB seasons, after already racking up 1,250 strikeouts during seven years in Japan. Though he missed all of 2015 due to Tommy John surgery, Darvish topped 200 strikeouts again in 2017 and 2019. In 2021, he fell just one strikeout short of the mark in his first season with the Padres and was three shy in 2022.

After an injury-plagued 2023 season (4.56 ERA), Darvish’s return to form has been gradual, with injuries and a personal matter affecting his recovery. However, since rejoining the Padres’ rotation on September 4, Darvish has posted a 3.15 ERA in four starts without a traditional minor league rehab stint. Over 20 innings, he’s struck out 21 batters, walked four, and allowed 17 hits. After six shutout innings against the Astros, he pitched into the seventh inning in his most recent start, a key moment for him. “It’s really important for me to get out there in the seventh,” Darvish said, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity. He added, “It feels good to be back and perform. I missed a big part of the season, but I’m happy to be back out there.”