The San Diego Padres’ star ace Yu Darvish is not far from baseball during the offseason. With Darvish’s son aspiring to follow his dad on the mound, the Japanese player is busy showing the ropes to him. The father-son duo has been popular with the fans for a long time and their recent video has only increased that popularity.

While Darvish’s 2023 season ended in a relative disappointment due to his elbow injury, it looks like he ended the year on a high. The latest video with his son shows how Darvish is taking pride in seeing Shoei’s growth.

Yu Darvish and son Shoei practice during offseason

The internet was set on fire in 2022 when Shoei’s pitching videos were released. Fans quickly pointed out that Darvish’s son is showing high potential. His name, which sounds close to a certain Japanese two-way player got the most fans. But the fans did start dreaming of seeing Shoei Darvish in the major leagues. Now Darvish has posted a video of acting as a catcher to his son. 

The video was captioned, “Father receiving his son’s bullpen pitch 👨”. It shows how the young Darvish is rapidly improving in his pitching game. The accuracy of his throw and the speed that he generates show how quickly Shoei is improving. 

The fans are in awe of this X post. Though the video released last year had fans noticing the still-developing footwork of Shoei, it seems the current video has cleared through doubts. Fans are enjoying the father and son having a quality time together.

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One interesting part of this video is Darvish looking relatively healthy. After an abrupt end to his 2023, can Darvish start the 2024 season right from the opening day?

Will the ace return in 2024?

Yu Darvish’s elbow injury created worries that he might have to undergo Tommy John surgery. This raised alarm bells as at 37, getting such an injury could’ve spelled disaster for the Padres as well as Darvish. But those worries were ill-founded, as Darvish’s elbow injury proved to be not as serious as feared.

As a result, Darvish is expected to play in 2024, though he won’t necessarily be the ace of the Friars. His age won’t allow him to perform that function aptly, but even in a limited capacity, Darvish’s contribution is much needed for the Padres, who are about to enter a new era with Juan Soto out of their hands.

Nevertheless, the sentimental connection between generations in the world of baseball unfolds, capturing the essence of a promising legacy in the making.

Read more: WATCH: Japanese Superstar Yu Darvish Pays Tribute to Late San Diego Padres’ Owner Peter Seidler, Who Passed Away at 63