Apr 17, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (11) looks on during the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Padres All-Star Yu Darvish becomes fastest to 1,600 Ks

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 4/17/22

Coming off of a brutal second outing of the 2022 season on April 12, San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish was looking to earn his first win of the year on Sunday Night Baseball against the Atlanta Braves.

With four strikeouts and no runs allowed through the first two frames, Darvish was already off to a better start than his 1 2/3-inning, nine-run nightmare he went through last time out against the San Francisco Giants.

The five-time All-Star also made some history in the top of the second inning.

Yu Darvish’s fourth strikeout of the day there was the 1,600th of his career. With just 1,302.1 innings pitched, Darvish is the fastest pitcher to 1,600 Ks by innings pitched. No other pitcher has ever reached that milestone in fewer than 1,350 innings.
— Elias Sports Bureau (@EliasSports) April 17, 2022

Darvish is in his second season with the Padres. He spent the first four-plus years of his career with the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Darvish led MLB in strikeouts in 2013 during his second year in the league with 277.

The 35-year-old made his fifth All-Star team in 2021, as he registered an 8-11 record with a 4.22 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 199 strikeouts over 166 1/3 innings pitched covering 30 starts.

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