Padres Pitcher Extends Astonishing Modern-Era MLB Record

San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish might have been sidelined for much of the season due to injuries and a personal matter, but it would be remiss to forget how dominant Darvish is.

Since returning to the Padres on Sep. 4, Darvish pitched his best start yet on Monday. During Monday's 3-1 win over the Houston Astros, Darvish pitched six innings for the first time since his return. He allowed three hits and walked two, but gave up zero earned runs while striking out three in his best outing since May.

Perhaps the best stat to sum up what has made Darvish special as a pitcher is that he has recorded multiple strikeouts in every each of his MLB appearances — a remarkable 280 games since his debut with the Texas Rangers in April 2012.

Darvish's 280 straight games with at least two strikeouts is the longest streak in the modern era of MLB going back to 1901, per Opta Stats.

Including yesterday, the @Padres' Yu Darvish has recorded multiple strikeouts in all 280 games of his MLB career.

That is the longest streak by any player at any point in their career in the modern era (since 1901). pic.twitter.com/y7lOjF6hXJ
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 17, 2024

When healthy, Darvish regularly strikes out his opponents. He previously led the American League in strikeouts in 2013 with the Texas Rangers, when he started a career-high 32 games and 277 strikeouts.

Darvish has struck out more than 200 in three separate MLB seasons, and came within three strikeouts of doing so in two other seasons. He likely would have crossed the 200-strikeout mark more had he not dealt with injuries.

While Darvish has dealt with his fair share of injuries over his career, his longevity in terms of the level he has played at when he is available is one of his most impressive feats.

Darvish has pitched in MLB since 2012, and pitched in Nippon Professional Baseball for six years before that. The 38-year-old has compiled 1,994 strikeouts over his MLB career, and 1,250 over in NPB. It's one of the keys to his success over his career and what has made him a five-time MLB All-Star, two-time Pacific League MVP in NPB, and three-time NPB strikeout leader.

The Padres will be counting on Darvish to strike out opponents as they try to make a postseason run. Darvish last pitched in the playoffs with the Padres in 2022, when he recorded 23 strikeouts over four starts. He went 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA over those starts, and helped the Padres reach the National League Championship Series.