San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (1) looks out from the dugout during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park on May 28. Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish Set to Make History For Japanese Pitchers on Monday

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 4:51 PM ET

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish is set to make baseball history for Japanese players on Monday night when he returns from a season-long injury.

Per @OptaSTATS:

Yu Darvish is expected to make his season debut today, which would mark his 13th MLB season with at least one pitch thrown.

That would be the most MLB seasons by a Japanese-born pitcher all-time and second most by an Asian-born pitcher behind Chan Ho Park of South Korea (17).

Yu Darvish is expected to make his season debut today, which would mark his 13th MLB season with at least one pitch thrown.

That would be the most MLB seasons by a Japanese-born pitcher all-time and second most by an Asian-born pitcher behind Chan Ho Park of South Korea (17). pic.twitter.com/uQVkPM9nyN
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 7, 2025

Darvish has been out with a right elbow injury.

A five-time All-Star, Darvish has pitched for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Padres. He's gone 110-88 with a 3.58 ERA, and he led baseball in wins (8) during the COVID 2020 season.

A successful international player, he also helped lead Japan to a win in the 2023 World Baseball Classic title, where he was teammates with Shohei Ohtani. He's won double-digit games five times in his big-league career.

The Padres enter play on Monday at 48-41 and in second place in the National League West. Currently tied for the third and final wild card spot, they could deal significant blows to Arizona's playoff chances, as the D-backs are 44-46 and 4.5 games back of the Padres.

First pitch is set for 9:40 p.m. ET as Darvish pitches against Zac Gallen. A former All-Star himself, Gallen is just 6-9 with a 5.45 ERA. He is a trade candidate if the D-backs decide to sell at the deadline, so each start takes on importance for a multitude of reasons.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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