San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish on Saturday spoke out against hate crimes targeting Asians in the United States, saying at the team's spring training site in Arizona that he does not judge anybody based on their skin tone.
"In my opinion, underneath the skin we're all the same. It doesn't sit well with me," said Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and Japanese mother, when asked about the surge in violence against Asian-Americans.
"I have not been directly attacked, either verbally or physically, since I came to the United States. But in reality, many people are suffering from (discrimination)," said Darvish, who began pitching in the majors in 2012.