Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres reacts after pitching a scoreless seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sept. 2, 2022. (Kyodo)

LOS ANGELES - Upon reaching his milestone 3,000th strikeout in elite pro competition Friday, Yu Darvish reflected on how having fun as a child in Japan's rigid baseball culture by making the ball bend made him the pitcher he is today.