Ham Victorious in Teenager's Debut

Nippon Ham Fighter's #1 draft choice, 18 year old Yu Darvish, won his pro debut last night. Darvish went 8 inning, struck out 3, and allowed 2 runs on 9 hits for the decision in the 8-2 victory over the Carp.

Darvish, whose father is Iranian and mother Japanese, signed with the Ham last December for $145,000. Considerably less that the amount first round picks in the MLB draft will sign for. Darvish, in his last high school start, pitched a no-hitter to lead Tohoku High School to the national high school championship in March of 2004.

More recently he was in the news for his behavior off the field, when a tabloid magazine published a photo of the 18 year old smoking a cigarette in a pachinko parlor. It is illegal to smoke before the age of 20 in Japan, being in a gambling facility didn't help. The Ham responded by disciplining their number one pick by putting him under house arrest, allowing him to leave the minor league dorm only to practice.

As you can see, very different than the US and MLB. Much lower signing bonuses, and the smoking incident wouldn't have been an issue in other countries. In Japan, you represent your team and how you carry yourself is a reflection of the team.