Yu Darvish spills the beans about 'fun time' getting drunk with Angels star Yusei Kikuchi

San Diego Padres star Yu Darvish and newly-minted Los Angeles Angel Yusei Kikuchi seem to be enjoying themselves this offseason. The pitching duo, who were perennial All-Stars in Japan's NPB, allegedly bonded over drinks during the latter weeks of 2024.

In a recent update by Darvish, he shared what transpired during an occasion including them and their wives.

Yu Darvish said he and Yusei Kikuchi were just mere acquaintances who greeted each other during games and haven't before reached friendship levels yet. But they likely got closer during the occasion Darvish detailed.

He revealed that due to them not being able to handle alcohol well, they proposed that their wives consumed the Hibiki brought by the Angels pitcher. Hibiki is a premium-blended whisky that's only produced in their native Japan.

However, Darvish said he and Kikuchi consumed the drink instead, with the latter drinking most of it. This in turn produced the photo of the Angels man passed out and sleeping on the floor.

Yu Darvish also bared that they attempted to find a ride for Kikuchi to get home safely but to no avail, leading to him spending the night with the Darvishes.

Yu Darvish sets MLB-strikeout benchmark for Japanese pitchers with 2000 Ks

Perhaps an overlooked feat drowned out by other milestones during the past season was Yu Darvish's landmark strikeout record. In the September 23, 2024, game of the San Diego Padres against the Chicago White Sox, Darvish claimed the 2000th strikeout of his MLB career while facing Luis Robert Jr.

With the feat, Darvish extends his gap over the great Hideo Nomo on the all-time Ks list of Japanese pitchers. With the hurler's tally amounting to 2,007 strikeouts, he now places 89th among all MLB pitchers in terms of career Ks. In addition, when combining his total strikeouts in MLB to the numbers he tallied in NPB, Darvish's total is 3,257.

He has been a staple in the American baseball scene since making his debut for the Texas Rangers in 2012. He has been a strikeout leader in the AL, a wins leader in the NL, and has helped playoff contending teams such as the Dodgers, Cubs, and Padres.

However, one must not forget the era of dominance he had in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. In the Far East, Yu Darvish was a two-time Pacific League MVP, an Eiji Sawamura Awardee, a three-time strikeout champion, and was pivotal in his team's 2006 Japan Series-winning campaign.