Japanese celebrities are using YouTube in new ways to connect with fans
The baseball offseason has arrived and Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish has taken up a few extracurricular activities. The Osaka-born player has expanded his social media presence, with recent posts on Twitter — poking fun at teammates and playfully roasting other starters — being picked ...
Controversy surrounding high school ace Roki Sasaki stirs up familiar debate
Ofunato High School was inundated with calls after its loss in the final of the Iwate Prefectural tournament on Thursday. But it wasn't a stream of commiserations and condolences pouring in — there were around 150 calls on the day of the school's 12-2 loss ...
Yu Darvish slams Japan's high school baseball system over not protecting players
Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish on Saturday criticized Japan's high school baseball system's failure to protect young ballplayers. Darvish, himself a nationally famous former high school pitcher, spoke at Milwaukee's Miller Park about the controversy surrounding one high school holding back its best pitcher on ...
Cubs hurler Yu Darvish confident after second spring training start
Yu Darvish, whose first season pitching for the Chicago Cubs was blighted by injury, was brimming with confidence after his second spring training start on Sunday. "It's the best stuff in my life," Darvish said after he threw 27 pitches — 17 of them strikes ...
Chihiro Kaneko draws attention from Yu Darvish, others, because of change-up
Chihiro Kaneko, as a 35-year-old veteran of 13 seasons, probably possesses a fair amount of wisdom he can impart on the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitchers younger than him. Even those who have already moved on. Former Fighters ace and current Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish ...
Shohei Ohtani's historic big league debut wasn't the only story coming out of the majors this year, but it often seemed like it. The ups and downs of the hard-hitting, hard-throwing American League Rookie of the Year captured imaginations on both sides of the Pacific, ...
Yu Darvish on track for rehab start after throwing second simulated game
The Chicago Cubs' Yu Darvish appears to be on track for a minor-league rehab start after throwing strongly in a simulated game Tuesday as the right-hander continues to work through injuries to his pitching arm. Darvish faced two Cubs batters and threw 55 pitches over ...
The Chicago Cubs have placed veteran right-hander Yu Darvish on the 60-day disabled list retroactive to May 23, the team announced on Friday. Darvish, who has been sidelined for more than two months due to right triceps tendinitis, has been transferred to make room on ...
Players become pop idols for female fans
In its long history, Koshien has seen some handsome, flamboyant idol players who were popular among female fans, and not just baseball fanatics, such as Waseda Jitsugyo hurler Daisuke Araki, Kagoshima Jitsugyo pitcher Shoji Sadaoka and Tohoku fireballer Yu Darvish. Tokaidai Sagami slugger Tatsunori ...
Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka joins three other Japanese pitchers on DL
The New York Yankees said Saturday right-hander Masahiro Tanaka has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with mild strains in both hamstrings. Tanaka becomes the latest Japanese pitcher on MLB's disabled list, following Yu Darvish (Chicago Cubs, triceps tendonitis), Kenta Maeda (Los Angeles Dodgers, ...
