Well, this is awkward. Yuli Gurriel, the same guy who made headlines for all the wrong reasons in the 2017 World Series, is now teammates with Yu Darvish. Talk about a full-circle situation no one saw coming. 6 years ago, Yuli Gurriel’s racially insensitive behavior toward Darvish sparked outrage across MLB, guiding to a suspension and some damage control. Now, they are sharing a clubhouse. Naturally, fans were curious, was this going to be a cold-war situation? Or have they buried the hatchet? Yuli Gurriel currently opened up related to their first gathering and his reaction was… well, interesting. Time to dissect the moment.

In case you somehow missed it, at the period of Game 3 of the 2017 World Series, Yuli Gurriel mocked Yu Darvish’s Japanese heritage. Cameras caught Yuli Gurriel making a slanted-eye gesture in the dugout. It sparked a quick backlash. It was not just a “bad joke”, it was a controversy that put MLB under pressure to take quick action.

MLB handed Yuli Gurriel a 5-game suspension, however, notably for the upcoming season, enabling him to finish the World Series. Multiple fans criticized the authorities for not enforcing a quick punishment. In addition, Yu Darvish, who had just given up 4 runs in that inning, chose the high way, saying, “nobody is perfect. We should learn from this and move forward“. Classic Yu Darvish, calm, composed, and too nice for his personal good.

Fast forward to 2025. The pair are now on the same team, in an ironic twist no one saw coming. When asked related to their first interaction, Gurriel said to 97.3 The Fan, “I am really happy and grateful for the opportunity to be his teammate. I really appreciate the fact that he came over and said hi to me“. Ah, yes, the universal “we are totally fine now” reaction. However, we need to be real. What else could he have said? “Yes, it is super awkward?“

As the chips have fallen, here we are, with Gurriel and Yu Darvish side by side in the San Diego Padres. Since 2017, Yu Darvish has turned a new leaf and reestablished his career. He made 2 All-Star appearances and finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2020. On the contrary, Gurriel played a vital role in the Astros’ 2022 World Series run before bouncing between teams. But with both on the same side now, the potential for tensions still exists. How has the league fared in similar situations in the past?

MLB’s history of forced friendships

The Padres are banking on chemistry this season and nothing screams “great team vibes” like throwing two talents with a controversial past in the mix. Yu Darvish could forget and forgive; however, that does not say the rest of the team will not feel the tension. Chemistry plays aa vital role. Just ask last year’s San Diego Padres, who, despite their star power, finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs because of internal friction.

Team dynamics could break and make a season and while Gurriel and Yu Darvish will not have to be best friends, their capability to coexist and perform will be under the microscope. It is worth highlighting here that Yu Darvish is a respected veteran and younger talents, like Jackson Merrill and Luis Campusano, will take cues from how he manages this situation.

But this is not the first time MLB has had talents awkwardly reunite. Remember Josh Donaldson and Tim Anderson after the “Jackie” controversy? In addition, Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon, who went from a dugout brawl to being teammates again? There are historic competitions too, like the one of David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, that have turned in post-retirement friendships.

If Gurriel and Yu Darvish keep it totally professional and perform well, this sour storyline will fade. However, if there is any friction? Oh, the drama will be spectacular, specifically, with the San Diego Padres looking to bounce back in a stacked NL West.

So, what is next? Will they actually become friends? Will this be one of those ‘we tolerate each other because we have to’ situations? With the San Diego Padres chasing a title, such a dynamic could be an underrated storyline of the season. What do you think? Does their past still matter? Or is this a non-story? Cue the discussions.