"He is a role model for other Japanese players from Ohtani on down" - MLB analyst heaps praise on Yu Darvish’s outstanding career

San Diego Padres' Japanese hurler Yu Darvish made his MLB debut in 2012 and has since been an integral member of teams he has played for, most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Padres. His success in majors may have very well played a part in the influx of Japanese-born superstars to the major league.

Few notable Japanese superstars command a good fan base in the Asian contingent and their success has inspired many other athletes. Shohei Ohtani and Darvish are arguably the most influential Japanese players in the last 56 years as far as major leagues are concerned.

MLB analyst Ken Rosenthal appeared on Foul Territory this week and heaped praise on the Japanese hurler. He accredited Darvish as an inspiration for all Japanese baseball players.

"Someone with the Padres mentioned to me a couple of days ago that where at one point in his career he might have been overrated, now he might be underrated," Rosenthal said.

"And beyond all that, this bears mentioning, he is a role model for other Japanese players from Ohtani on down," he added. "They look up to him. He is almost like their godfather. So he has had a huge impact on the game since arriving in the United States, and the 200-win milestone between the two leagues, that would be one benchmark of what he has accomplished."

Yu Darvish is on the cusp of a huge milestone when he takes the mound on Saturday

MLB: San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs

Yu Darvish is one win away from reaching a big milestone and will be hoping to claim it when he faces the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. Darvish has 199 wins in his combined Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball career.

Hiroki Kuroda (203) and Hideo Nomo (201) are the only two other Japanese-born pitchers to have had more wins in their professional careers.

Earlier in February, the Padres extended Darvish on a six-year, $108 million contract, and his pitching so far this season has been excellent. Darvish has a 2.43 ERA in 40.2 innings pitched, which includes a 3-1 record and 37 strikeouts.