In Pictures: Yu Darvish & his sons enjoy the high life at luxury 'Tower 11' hotel, stay in Shohei Ohtani-themed suite at Nippon-Ham Fighters stadium

Although he has now pitched in MLB for 12 years, Yu Darvish is not one to let his connections to the homeland wilt. Recently, the pitcher took his two sons to one of the most noteworthy places in modern Japanese baseball lore.

Recently, Darvish posted an array of pictures on X that depicted him visiting Hokkaido's Es Con Field. As guests in the attached "Tower 11 hotel", Darvish and his two sons apparently enjoyed the sauna, and hot springs, as well as incredible views of the field, where the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters play their home games.

"This time, we stayed at "TOWER 11"! We were able to enjoy the hot springs and sauna, which not only delighted me, but also my two sons, who came with me this time. Permission to take photos was given." - Yu Darvish

Darvish himself was a Ham Fighter and played on that field before deciding to sign with the Texas Rangers ahead of the 2012 season. Although they did not play at the same time, Shohei Ohtani also played for the Ham Fighters before his MLB debut. Both Darvish and Ohtani were honored with wall art at the suite in Tower 11.

Es Con Field has played host to some of the most high-stakes baseball games in NPB. However, it is also a state-of-the-art facility. The first-ever sauna and onsen in a ballpark, Tower 11 allows guests the opportunity to watch games from their room, or from a hot tub.

"Yu Darvish is the third pitcher to win 200 games between MLB and Japan, joining Hideo Nomo and Hiroki Kuroda (via @Buster_ESPN)" - Talkin' Baseball

Having already been an elite pitcher when he moved to MLB, Yu Darvish did not look back. Now a member of the San Diego Padres, Darvish is a five-time All-Star who has competed for the Cy Young multiple times. A career 110-88 in MLB, Darvish has 2,007 strikeouts in 1,706.0 innings of work.

Yu Darvish thanks Padres fans for supporting him in 2024

Apart from his 2017 run to the World Series with the Dodgers, Darvish has obtained the most postseason success when playing with the Padres. After a deflating loss in Game 5 of the NLDS that saw Darvish give up two home runs, the veteran told fans:

"Thank you for supporting all of us throughout the year. Whether it was through TV, radio, or at the ballpark — I feel truly grateful for your support. I will find points for improvement, and continue to work hard to become a better player."

Though Darvish's future in MLB is far from clear, the chance to show his sons where it all began was undoubtedly special.