Current and former Japanese major leaguers lauded their countryman Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres after the veteran right-hander posted his 200th career win across Japan and the United States on Sunday.
"Instead of waning, I get the impression that he's evolving each year," Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani said of Darvish, his World Baseball Classic-winning teammate for Japan in March last year.
After making a superb start to his big-league career this season, Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs was also in awe of the 37-year-old's feat.
"Getting 200 wins is said to be really hard to achieve in modern-day baseball," the southpaw said. "He's had his elbow surgery too (in 2015), and it's an unimaginable number. The most amazing thing is he's not losing out physically."
Still eager to improve and a keen learner of the game, Darvish tries to learn new things from younger players and integrate the information he gets into his own performance.
"I thought he was a player with really strong aspiration and curiosity," said Lotte Marines manager Masato Yoshii, who coached Darvish during his time at the Nippon Ham Fighters, as well as at last year's WBC.
"He's a baseball man and a junior who I really respect."
Yoshii, who won 32 games over his five years in the majors from 1998 with the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and the Montreal Expos, said he is "a huge fan" of the player.
Darvish is guaranteed a deal until he is 42 with the Padres after signing a six-year deal worth $108 million in February last year.
"Congratulations on achieving the feat with a dominant outing," said Rakuten Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who has 197 career wins, 78 of them with the New York Yankees, on X, formerly Twitter. "I'd like to follow you (toward 200). He's the most influential person to me."
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