*This content was translated by AI.
Rumors have emerged that Japanese baseball's representative veteran ace Darvish Yu (40, San Diego Padres), who is highly favored by Korean fans, will retire. First of all, the player denied that he was discussing the termination of his contract with San Diego, but that he did not decide to retire.
Darvish said on his social networking service (SNS) on the 25th, "I'm going to explain briefly because there have been reports of retirement about me."
Darvish said, "It is true that we have been talking with the San Diego club since last year in the direction of breaking the contract," but added, "However, we have not decided to retire yet. He added, "There are many things to agree with the San Diego club, so nothing has been decided yet."
Darvish went on to say, "I am currently committed to rehabilitating my elbow. If I'm in a state of mind and body to throw the ball again, I want to start all over again. But if there comes a stage where we can't do that, then we will announce our retirement," he stressed.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on the same day that "Darvish will retire."
The media added, "Darvish gave up his remaining contract of $43 million (about 62.5 billion won) for three years and conveyed his intention to retire to the San Diego club."
However, Darvish immediately denied the retirement rumor through his personal SNS and started to organize the facts. However, he admitted that he was talking with San Diego about terminating the contract.
Darvish is a living legend in Japanese baseball, which is currently on the verge of winning the most wins as an Asian pitcher in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB).
Darvish underwent ligament surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in November last year. At the time, Darvish said on his social media, "I recently underwent elbow ligament reconstruction by Dr. Meister. I attached the brace to my elbow ligament. I will work hard so that I can throw the ball comfortably again. "I can't play in the 2026 season," he said. It is an operation that takes a year only for rehabilitation, so it is impossible to play in the 2026 season. In the midst of this, he talked with San Diego about terminating his contract, and it seems that the retirement rumor has been revealed.
Darvish is a right-handed fireballer representing Japan and is famous for being a so-called "friendly" to domestic baseball fans. It has been known in the past that they enjoy eating Korean food, such as kimchi. He also visited Korea for the MLB Seoul Series in 2024, and at the time, he visited a cafe run by his passionate fan and drew great attention.
Darvish joined Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese professional baseball league (NPB) in 2005 and made his professional debut. In a total of 167 games in the NPB's seven seasons, he recorded 93 wins, 38 losses and a 1.99 ERA. In 2009 and 2023, he participated in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament and played as a starting pitcher representing Japan. In particular, in the 2009 WBC tournament, Lee Bum-ho, the current KIA Tigers coach, was hit with a timely hit.
Darvish entered the major league stage for the Texas Rangers in 2012. While Choo Shin-soo was playing in Texas, he was a teammate. He then played for a total of four clubs, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego. He also played with Kim Ha-sung in San Diego. He recorded 115 wins, 93 losses and an ERA of 3.65 in 13 major league seasons. Currently, Park Chan-ho, the "Korean Express," has only nine wins left to record the most wins (124 wins) for Asian pitchers in the Major League. He was named an All-Star five times and became the American League's strikeout king in 2013. In addition, he won the National League's most wins in the 2020 season. In the 2025 season, he was 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA.
Last month, Japanese media Tokyo Sports quoted an article by the San Diego Union-Tribune, saying, "There were local reports in the United States that Darvish could finally choose to retire." The media also disclosed specific reasons for retirement. "For him in his 21st year as a professional, family is his top priority," the media said. "One of the daily routines Darvish values is playing catch with his son."
With the 2026 season difficult to take the mound, the San Diego club is reportedly negotiating over the remaining salary. The plan is to secure part of Darvish's annual salary with club management funds. Prior to the 2023 season, Darvish signed a six-year contract with San Diego worth a total of $108 million (about 160 billion won).
This is not the first time that Darvish is retiring. It also happened once in September last year. At the time, another American media outlet, The Athletic, said, "He confessed his concerns about retirement honestly. But I'm not giving up," he said. What will happen to Darvish.
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*This content was translated by AI.
