Yu Darvish joined the Rangers in 2012 and now pitches for the Padres — he currently holds the MLB strikeout record among Japanese pitchers and keeps extending it.
His pitch variety is unrivaled: 4-seam, cutter, slider, splitter, curve and more — 10+ distinct offerings.
Nearing 40, he still posts 150+ strikeouts a year, modeling long-career durability.
He surpassed 1,900 career MLB strikeouts in 2025 — the only Japanese pitcher with 2,000 in realistic reach.