Yu Darvish has been an active social media presence during his time in Major League Baseball. He shared a moment with fellow Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi from the end of last year on X.
A check in on the offseason of Yu Darvish and Yusei Kikuchi. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/60IKhYtHz9
— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) January 6, 2025
“I had dinner with the Kikuchi couple while they were on vacation at the end of last year,” Darvish wrote on X in Japanese. “We had a lively and fun time together with both families in the house we rented. Kikuchi drank most of the Hibiki that he brought with him and eventually passed out drunk. He couldn’t find an Uber to take us home, so he stayed the night.”
Darvish went on to note that he had permission to take the picture of Kikuchi on the floor. He added to his own post by saying that he and Kikuchi had only exchanged greetings until that point. He also noted that Kikuchi has been a fan of Darvish’s since he was in high school in Japan.
Darvish is much older than Kikuchi and is an icon and idol to many Japanese pitchers. In Japan, he was a two-time Pacific League MVP, Eiji Sawamura Award winner, five-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star and Japan Series Champion. He has also won two Gold Medals representing Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
Kikuchi played seven seasons in Japan after Darvish made his MLB debut. Kikuchi has not represented Japan in the World Baseball Classic like Darvish has. However, he is a great pitcher and signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels this offseason. Last season, he started slow, but after he was traded to the Houston Astros he shined. In 10 games, he had a 2.70 ERA. He took time to respond to Darvish on X. He noted he started drinking as a way to break up the tension he was feeling and also wrote about how he admires Darvish.
“My wife is always very grateful to Seiko, and thanks to that connection we were able to spend a fun time with Darvish and his wife at the end of the year. When I was in elementary school, Darvish was a student at Tohoku High School, and he has been a great pitcher that I have admired ever since. I had intended to ask lots of questions, but Darvish ended up asking me lots of questions as well, and he even purchased some of the training equipment I introduced to him on the spot. I felt humbled and thought to myself, ‘This is the person who will become number one.’ I was happy to be able to be with Darvish, who thinks more deeply about baseball than anyone else.”
Darvish has more strikeouts than any Japanese-born pitcher in MLB history and is the only Japanese-born pitcher in the 2,000 strikeouts club. Darvish is one of the best Japanese players to ever play in MLB. Understandably, he has many admirers from his home country. Clearly, he is not shy about meeting them and sharing moments with them. When it comes to Darvish, it seems like it is okay to meet your idols.
