Padres' Yu Darvish Becomes Fastest Pitcher in MLB History to 1,500 Strikeouts

Welcome to the history books, Yu Darvish.

The San Diego Padres ace struck out 11 Los Angeles Dodgers through six innings of Monday's game between the National League West rivals to bring his career total to 1,500. He reached the mark in just 197 games, which is an all-time Major League Baseball record:

San Diego acquired Darvish, 34, from the Chicago Cubs via trade prior to the 2021 campaign, and he has delivered as the No. 1 pitcher for the playoff contenders.

He entered Monday's game with a 2.57 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 97 strikeouts in 84 innings, continuing his brilliance from last year when he was the National League Cy Young runner-up with a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

The four-time All-Star is a major reason the Padres, who entered play chasing the San Francisco Giants and Dodgers in the division but holding onto a wild-card spot, have realistic championship aspirations.