Darvish Yu (37, San Diego Padres), who is expected to compete for the first start of the Japanese baseball team, entered Japan to join the national team.
Japanese media such as Sankei Sports reported on the 15th, “Darvish arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on the 14th.”
This is the first place among the major league (MLB) players of the Japanese national team. Japan will conduct training for the national team in Miyazaki, Japan from the 17th. A total of five big leaguers, including Darvish, will participate, including Shohei Otani (LA Angels), Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), Lars Nutba (St. Louis Cardinals), and Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox). Darvish is expected to take on the team’s one-two punch alongside Ohtani. He may play against China, the first round, and there is a high possibility that he will pitch against Korea, which is considered the best match in the first round.
However, most major leaguers train more at their team’s spring camp before joining the team in March. In an interview on the 5th, Darvish said, “It was not a difficult decision for me. From the beginning, the club said, ‘Let the player decide.’ I am grateful to the club for giving me the right to decide.” I hope it doesn’t take for granted that the atmosphere, ‘I’m a big leaguer, so it’s okay to join the national team late’,” he said.
The Korean national team also gathered in Arizona on the 15th, but big leaguers Kim Ha-seong (San Diego) and Tommy Hyeon-su Edman (St. 바카라
In a return interview, Darvish said, “The club allowed me to join the national team early, but if I get injured or lose my pace, the relationship of trust with the club will collapse.” said.
He confidently said, “After deciding to play for the national team, I continued to pitch in the bullpen during the offseason, so my senses are alive. I can throw 3-4 innings anytime.” The WBC has a pitch limit of 65 per round. If Darvish is in his current physical condition, he can start immediately.
Darvish, who previously played in the WBC, is one of the veteran big leaguers in the national team. He is also evaluated as a position to guide juniors in the national team, but Darvish emphasized a horizontal role, not a senior. He said, “I am a player, and other representative players are also professional players. I am thinking of finding a better direction by sharing the information I have with each other.”
Meanwhile, Darvish signed a contract extension until 2028 with his team, San Diego, on the 10th. When it was confirmed that he would extend his active career, he was delighted, saying, “The WBC will be held again in three or four years, but since I signed a six-year extension with San Diego, I have the possibility to compete in the next WBC.”