Darvish Yu (37, San Diego), who once faced a crisis in his career, is guaranteed a contract until his 40s. It can be a hope for Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto), who is a year younger.
On the 11th (Korean time), MLB.com, the official homepage of the Major League Baseball (MLB), said, “Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million (approximately 135.9 billion won) contract with San Diego.”
Darvish, who joined Texas in 2012 after playing in Japan, recorded a major league career record of 95 wins and 75 losses with an ERA of 3.50. He recorded double-digit wins on five occasions, and in 2013 and 2020 he was ranked second in Cy Young voting.
Darvish, whose six-year, $126 million (approximately 160 billion won) contract signed ahead of the 2018 season ends at the end of this season, will accompany San Diego until 2028, when he turns 42.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, after signing, Darvish said, “I thought I was at the end of my baseball career,” but said, “It’s great to have a few more years with this team.”
As Darvish, who has already turned 37 from the start of the contract, doubts about his long run cannot help but be raised. Regarding this, he expressed his desire, “I can’t give a definite answer, but I want to go as far as possible.” He went on to say, “I’m going to try, let’s see how long I can do it.”
Darvish faced a crisis when he underwent Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament joint surgery) in 2015, at the beginning of his major league career. After taking an entire season off, he was able to return to the big league stage only in June of the following year. 메이저사이트
Another gobi was the 2021 season. Darvish was selected as an All-Star with a respectable record of 7-3 and an average ERA of 3.09 in 18 games in the first half. However, in the second half, due to injury, he had the worst record of 1-8 with an ERA of 6.16.
There was a prospect that Darvish, who is entering his mid-30s, could suffer a decline as it is, but he made a spectacular comeback last year. Recording 16-8 with an ERA of 3.10 in 30 appearances, he contributed greatly to the team’s return to fall baseball after two years. In the end, Darvish’s old age returned with the gift of an extended contract.
This can be a hope for Ryu Hyun-jin, who becomes a free agent (FA) after the end of this season. Even at a young age, if there is a clue to resurrection, it is possible to survive in the big leagues.
In 2020, the first season in Toronto, Ryu Hyun-jin, who ranked third in the Cy Young Award with an average ERA of 2.69 with 5 wins and 2 losses in a shortened 60-game season, won 14 wins the following year. However, he was shaken with an average ERA of 5.50 in the second half, and eventually ended the season with Tommy John surgery in June of last year. Ryu Hyun-jin can only come back this summer at the earliest.
He has a history of surgery at the age of his late 30s, but the possibility of returning is not low. Justin Verlander (40, New York Mets), who put a knife on his elbow at the age of 37, older than Ryu Hyun-jin, proudly won the American League Cy Young Award with 18 wins and an average ERA of 1.75 after returning last year.
In the end, the important thing is ‘a heart that doesn’t break’. Ryu Hyun-jin, who has already returned after undergoing shoulder joint and labrum surgery in 2015 and even won a free agent contract, can survive in the big leagues in his late 30s like Darvish.