New San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui has revealed that his Japanese teammate Yu Darvish was fundamental in him signing a five-year $33.6 million deal with the MLB team last month.
Describing the chance to play alongside Darvish as something “very beautiful,” Matsui hailed his new teammate as both and a “very respectable” human being during a Zoom conference call with the media on Tuesday night.
The 5-foot-8 Matsui was a five-time All-Star in Japan for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, leading the Pacific League in saves in 2019, 2022 and 2023. He had a career-best 39 saves with a 1.57 ERA and 2-3 record last season, striking out 72 and walking 13 in 57 1/3 innings.
He has a 2.40 career ERA, 236 saves and a 1.11 WHIP. He is the youngest pitcher in the Japanese major leagues to reach 200 saves.
