The San Diego Padres’ veteran pitcher, Yu Darvish, initiated his season’s journey on Monday, facing off against the Arizona Diamondbacks (GameTracker). Darvish, at 38 years old, had previously been on the injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow.
While not his most remarkable performance, it provided a foundation for the accomplished pitcher to build upon, benefiting a Padres team in significant need of his contributions. Over the course of 3 ⅔ innings, Darvish conceded two runs, both of which were earned, from four hits, while also achieving five strikeouts and issuing three walks. Out of his total of 63 pitches, 41 were registered as strikes.
In the initial stages, he showcased a classic breaking ball, using it to strike out Corbin Carroll, the first batter he faced:
In typical Darvish fashion, he utilized a wide array of pitches during his start – specifically, eight distinct types. The curveball was his most frequently used pitch, but it still only accounted for 22% of his total pitch count. He induced 12 swings and misses with five different pitches, including five with his sweeper. Regarding Darvish’s fastball, it reached a maximum velocity of 95.9 mph and maintained an average of 95.1 mph throughout the night. This average is slightly higher than his four-seam fastball’s average velocity from the previous season, which is an encouraging indication for the future.
Prior to this start, Darvish had participated in only one rehab assignment outing. During that appearance, he pitched four innings for San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate, throwing 51 pitches and allowing two runs on two hits and one walk. He managed to strike out four of the 14 batters he faced in that game.
“It boils down to his physical readiness,” manager Mike Shildt commented on Sunday. “We’ve intentionally kept a day open in the schedule specifically for Yu Darvish’s starts.”
Darvish, who is under contract until the conclusion of the 2028 season, had his playing time restricted to only 40 combined starts over the past two seasons, since his eighth-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting in 2022. Throughout that time, he posted a 4.09 ERA (102 ERA+) and maintained a 3.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Darvish is, undeniably, in the twilight of a distinguished international career. He has been selected for five All-Star teams and has accumulated over 33 Wins Above Replacement, according to the assessments provided by Baseball Reference.
Darvish was among a number of notable Padres starting pitchers who were unavailable. San Diego is still without the services of Joe Musgrove (sidelined for the remainder of the season following Tommy John surgery), Michael King (experiencing shoulder inflammation), and Ryan Bergert (recovering from a forearm contusion).
As they began play on Monday, the Padres held a record of 48-41 for the season, placing them in a tie with the San Francisco Giants for the third and final National League wild-card position.
