Yu Darvish’s No. 11 Jersey Hangs in Samurai Japan’s Dugout, Giving Boost to Team in Bid for Consecutive World Baseball Classic Championships

By Yuta Inoue / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:03 JST, March 9, 2026

With Samurai Japan’s win against Australia in Tokyo on Sunday in Pool C action of the World Baseball Classic, the team has lived up to its promise made to Yu Darvish.

Because Samurai Japan will finish atop its pool, the team will play a WBC quarterfinal game to be held in Miami.

Samurai Japan, which is aiming for a back-to-back WBC championship, made a promise to 39-year-old Darvish: The team would advance to the quarterfinals. Darvish, who plays for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball, joined Samurai Japan’s training camp in Miyazaki as only an adviser, not a player.

The team has been hanging Darvish’s No. 11 Samurai Japan jersey in its dugout. Prior to the game against Taiwan at Tokyo Dome on Friday — Samurai Japan’s opening game of the 2026 WBC — pitcher Hiroto Takahashi of the Chunichi Dragons touched it with his hand. “I felt it would give me power,” Takahashi said of the act.

After the Photo News Department of The Yomiuri Shimbun posted a photo of Takahashi doing so on its official X account, Darvish, who was back in the United States, reposted it with a message saying, “I handed them my uniform and told them, ‘Give it back in Miami,’ and he [Takahashi] did such a thing. I’m so moved.”

Takahashi learned much from Darvish during the team’s training camp, such as how to throw a cutter. “Without Darvish, the team wouldn’t have built up like this,” Takahashi, 23, said.

Tomoyuki Sugano, 36, spoke with Darvish for about one hour after joining the training camp. “It was an unforgettable time that I cannot put into words,” said Sugano, who plays for the Colorado Rockies.

Darvish had surgery on his right elbow in October and is still rehabilitating. However, the veteran pitcher conveyed his knowledge based on his experience to young Samurai Japan players.

Darvish refused to wear the No. 11 jersey during the camp out of respect for the players who would compete on the world stage, Yet, there’s no doubt that he’s still part of Samurai Japan. The team members are certain to be determined to pay him back for his dedication as the battle for baseball supremacy continues in the United States.