The San Diego Padres have had some rotation issues in 2025, and while Yu Darvish missed a huge chunk of the year, he’s been a solid piece of a rotation looking to help surpass the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
For Darvish, who’s pitching in his 13th season in the Major Leagues at 39 years old, what he’s accomplishing on the mound is nothing short of impressive. Even if he isn’t at his best this season, he’s been a positive contributor in 2025.
In a recent piece from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres’ pitching coach, Ruben Niebla, spoke on the pitching of Darvish in his age-39 season. He’s come away impressed, especially with Darvish’s versatility.
Darvish Defying Father Time Through New Arm Slot
The Padres have seen two different versions of Darvish this season. Through his first four starts, he had a 9.18 ERA. But, after making a “drastic change,” according to Lin, he’s been significantly better.
In the four starts since lowering his arm slot from 40 degrees to 33, then 28 degrees, he sits at a very solid 3.00 ERA. This change has worked for Darvish, and his pitching coach couldn’t be more impressed.
“From a higher slot, you’re going to create more north-south pitchers,” Niebla said. “From a lower slot, you’re going to create more east-west pitches. His ability to still maintain eight different looks, nine different looks, is really impressive.”
What makes this change from Darvish even more impressive is the background behind Darvish himself. At 39 years old, he’s making major adjustments to his pitching style and igniting a mid-season resurgence.
The idea was Darvish’s, according to Lin, and Niebla has never seen a pitcher make such a dramatic change in the middle of a season. With the status of Darvish’s elbow up in the air thanks to multiple injuries over the years, this change is a noteworthy one.
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He signed a huge $108 million deal through the 2028 season, which would keep him on the roster past his 42nd birthday. The veteran right-hander, who recently set the professional wins record by a Japanese pitcher, is still finding new ways to maintain his status in the Majors.
This change could impact the health of his elbow, but for now, he’s pitching at a much better level than he did before making the arm slot change.
Darvish, the longtime veteran, is aiming for his first World Series championship, and evident by his change in mechanics, he’s working to improve in any way possible to help the Padres.
It’s worked so far, and with a strong outing against the Dodgers behind him, Darvish is continuing to defy Father Time despite all of the injuries and wear-and-tear he’s gone through in his big league career.
Niebla is impressed with Darvish, and it’s hard not to be considering how his latest mechanics change has sparked a strong stretch for the veteran pitcher..
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