Yu Darvish is the Cubs' ace, a social media wiz and fan favorite. After a disastrous debut season in Chicago, he put together an impressive 2019 second half that has people bullish on his 2020 prospects — whenever the season may comemence.
Here's a couple notes you may not have known about the veteran right-hander:
1. Darvish pitched for Japan in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Big league players don’t participate in the quadrennial event because it occurs in the thick of the MLB season. Darvish was able to compete because he was still pitching in Japan’s NPB league.
2. Darvish’s father, Farsad, is Iranian, and his mother, Ikuyo, is Japanese. They met at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where Farsad played soccer. Farsad encouraged him to play soccer, but Yu preferred baseball.
3. In 2007, Darvish established the “Darvish Yu Water Fund” in collaboration with the Japan Water Forum. The project’s mission is to provide clean water to developing countries.
4. In 2012, Darvish was named the GQ Man of the Year in Japan. The magazine also billed him as the “Elvis of Japan” in 2010.
Ace, humanitarian and GQ cover model. What's not to like about this guy?
