Dodgers News: Yu Darvish Passes LA Legend on All Time Strikeout List

History was made Monday in San Diego as Yu Darvish took his place as the Japanese strikeout king. 

When Darvish struck out Ramon Urias of the Orioles in the top of the sixth inning, he surpassed Dodgers legend Hideo Nomo for most strikeouts by a Japanese-born pitcher of all time. 

Since making the move from Japan to the MLB in 2012, Darvish has struck out 1,919 batters. 

Nomo was on top of the leaderboard for most strikeouts by a Japanese born pitcher since the 90s. Before Darvish came to the MLB, no one was within 1,000 strikeouts of Nomo. 

Thanks to Nomo, many Japanese pitchers have made the transition to America. Before Nomo no one really found success in the MLB after pitching in the Japanese NPB. 

Nomo made a splash once he got to the MLB. He led the league in strikeouts and threw a no-hitter in his first year. He easily ran away with the Rookie of the Year. 

The following year he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. 

Now Darvish takes his place as one of the best Japanese pitchers in MLB history while still appreciating what Nomo did for him.

“I remember watching him on television when I was a kid, and we all know how great of a pitcher he is,” Darvish said through Japanese interpreter Shingo Horie. “So just being able to be in his league, it means a lot.” (Via MLB.com)

It isn't surprising that Darvish got to this point. In seven seasons in the NPB, Darvish racked up 1,250 strikeouts in 167 games. 

In his Japanese career, Darvish was elite, as he had an ERA below two with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. 

Comparatively, Nomo had an ERA around three for his six year career in Japan. Although he was giving up more runs than Darvish, Nomo was striking out more batters. 

In 20 fewer games than Darvish, Nomo struck out 40 fewer batters. 

Now Darvish is paving the way for the next generation of Japanese pitchers to come to America.