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The Daily Insight

Yu Darvish Biography, Wife, Parents, Age, Height, Family and Other Facts

Author

Sarah Richards

Published Feb 24, 2026

Yu Darvish is a Japanese professional baseball player who made his name playing in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. He has come a long way since his debut in 2012 and has also played for Japan in various competitions in the past. Here’s everything you need to know about him.

Biography of Yu Darvish (Age)

The stellar baseball player was born on August 16, 1986 in Habikino, Osaka as Farid Yu Darvishsefat to an Iranian father by a Japanese mother, and it was in Japan that he was raised.

It was no surprise that Yu turned out to be a baseball player while his family was playing sports. His father was a footballer in his day. He attended Gakko Hojin Nankogakuen Tohoku High School where he started acting as a boy in second grade. Yu rose steadily so that by the time he was in high school, he had already made a name for himself as one of the top players.

There, he led the school to numerous championships and finals that not only captured the attention of scouts, but also that of the entire nation. Teams in Japan and the United States sought to secure his signature, but it was the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters who ended him in 2005. Thanks to his impact and skill at this young age, he was able to make it to Japanese major league baseball, skipping college.

Yu Darvish stayed with Japanese baseball until 2011 when he decided to leave home and play in MLB for the Texas Rangers. He remained with the team until 2017 when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before being traded, he missed the 2015 season following a UCL tear. Yu played for the Dodgers but left in 2018 after receiving a six-year contract from the Chicago Cubs worth $126 million.

As easily as one can describe, his career has been very successful. In MLB, he has so far made 4 All-Stars and was the leader of AL Strikeout in 2013. Before joining the league, he also left a big mark on Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Yu Darvish also threw the ball for Japan in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship when the country won the gold medal, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic when the country won again. won.

Family – Parents and Wife

As stated, Darvish comes from a very interesting family with an Iranian father and a Japanese mother. Her parents met in Japan at Eckerd College. At the time, his father was still playing football.

Yu has walked the road to marriage twice in his lifetime. His first marriage was to Japanese actress Saeko in 2007. Although their relationship was private, she did not survive 6 years as they both walked in 2012.

After her marriage to Saeko ended, YuDarvish met and married Seiko Yamamoto (now Seiko Darvish) in 2016. Prior to her marriage to the baseball player, Saeko was married to Japanese handball player Hideaki Nagashima from 2006 to 2014.

Seiko, just like her husband, is also an athlete who rose to fame as a wrestler. Interestingly, she is probably Japan’s most famous wrestler having won 4 world championships for the country. After leaving professional wrestling, Seiko Darvish continued to coach. She worked for the USA Women’s Junior Wrestling Team.

Their marriage was blessed with two children.

Height and width

One thing that is evident about Darvish is that he is a very fit man. He has a good height and build that can help him succeed in almost any sport he chooses. He stands tall at a height of 6 feet 5 inches and a body weight of 225 pounds.

other facts

  • Shortly after signing in 2005, the young pitcher was caught smoking in a hobby room. The problem was that at the time he was underage so it caused a lot of controversy which forced him to come out and apologize.
  • His father had wanted him to play football, but his interest since childhood has always been baseball.
  • Growing up in Japan, he decided to choose that as his mother’s country over Iran.