Sports

Yu Darvish Helps Japan win the 2009 World Baseball Classic

by JeffHuang | March 23, 2009 at 10:03 pm

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Yu Darvish was introduced to the world against China in the World Baseball Classic following the footsteps of Daisuke Matsuzaka. The 22 year old who once posed nude for a magazine spread, helped Japan defeat China 4-0 Thursday in the 2009 WBC.

Daisuke Matsuzaka used the 2006 WBC to showcase his talents which spurred a bidding war between the Yankees and Red Sox. Daisuke eventually landed in Boston after being sold by the Seibu Lions for $51 million. Fast forward to the 2009 WBC, Yu Darvish could even be a bigger star than Daisuke as the 22 year old phenom is half-Iranian and goes by Farid, which means unique in Persian.

Darvish is already a rock star in Japan, and he's only 22, four years younger than Dice-K was when he hopped the Pacific Ocean to become a member of Red Sox Nation. It's unlikely that he'll be posted as quickly as Matsuzaka was, and indeed Darvish has steered clear of discussing a transition to Major League Baseball so far.

But the allure of a potentially record-setting bidding war might be too hard for the Ham Fighters to ignore. And if it is, Darvish could easily eclipse the Land of the Rising Sun's other national treasure currently on loan at Fenway Park. Here's hoping, at least.

Yu Darvish helped the Japan team win their second consecutive World Baseball Classic. He showcased his stuff against the United States with a 2-strike save in the 9th inning and coming back out the next day in the 2009 WBC Final championship game against Korea. This 22 year old young phenom has incredible stuff and is sure to have many suitors such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Get ready North America, Yu Darvish is coming to the MLB.