Yu Darvish was fresh on the scene with the Padres, but things weren’t exactly going his way. Darvish was under the pressure of being a rookie in the big leagues, back in 2012. However, in a cool twist, former MLB star Hiroki Kuroda, who’d spent 20 years making waves in both Japan and MLB, had decided to reach out. Now, Darvish was on the mound again; he absolutely crushed it in a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks last Friday. That performance wasn’t just about the victory; it tied him with his 49-year-old idol Kuroda, who also had 203 combined wins – a full-circle moment.   

Kuroda’s impressive 79 wins in the Majors, combined with his 124 in Japan, set the stage for Darvish, who has racked up 110 MLB wins and 93 in Japan. Matching his idol’s record, Darvish reflected, “Just a big honor. It’s just a great honor to be mentioned alongside someone like that”, as per MLB.com. His respect for Kuroda is evident, and he is paying it forward, too. Yu Darvish has become a go-to mentor, sharing the wisdom he’s gathered over the years and passing the torch to younger Japanese players.

At 37, Darvish made his recent comeback after spending three months on the injured list. Moreover, he was dealing with a personal family matter – it wasn’t an easy phase but since returning, he’s been impressive. Yu Darvish has been posting a solid 3.31 ERA for the season, with a 3.55 in his five starts back. On Friday, Yu faced a bit of a rocky start, giving up two runs in the first inning. But he found his groove and ended up allowing just three runs total on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. Bouncing back, he has proven how age is just a number!

That victory secured the Padres’ top Wild Card spot, also giving them a home-field advantage for the National League Wild Card Series. It even marked their 92nd win of the season, tying Yu Darvish and his squad with the legendary 1984 team. Both have the second-most wins in the franchise’s history, sitting just behind the 1998 crew, who secured 98 victories. With the previous circumstances resulting in the World Series, there’s definitely some exciting history there. 

Who will Yu Darvish and the Padres face next? 

With the excitement soaring high, season-ticket holders and fans on the waiting list have already grabbed most of the wild-card series tickets. At present, less than 1,000 tickets for each game are up for sale. Starting today morning at 10 a.m. PT, fans who’ve registered their emails with the Padres’ website, can join the ongoing pre-sale on padres.com. Haven’t registered? Any tickets still available after the sale will be open to the general public at noon; good luck!

The game schedule is still up in the air since they won’t announce the timings until the Padres know their opponent, adding another layer of thrill. The race for the other two wild-card spots is heating up, and anything can happen in the next few days. The Braves seized a win on Friday, earning a virtual tie with the Diamondbacks and the Mets. So, it should be a wild finish, and Padres fans can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

Given those results, the Mets and the Braves will likely play at least one game of their doubleheader on Monday. This doubleheader comes after rain postponed their last two games this week. Fans will definitely tune in to see what lies ahead, especially with playoff spots on the line. Who do you want to see Yu Darvish and the Padres face? Share below.