After being shelled in Game Seven of the 2017 World Series, Yu Darvish became a pariah, carrying the failure silently for years. Then an investigation revealed the opposing Astros had run a technology-driven sign-stealing scheme designed to decipher his pitch grips. Handed the perfect excuse, he refused it, insisting the responsibility rested on his own shoulders for failing to hide his mechanics. That choice reveals the core of his character.

Born in Osaka to a Japanese mother and Iranian father, Darvish was an inherent outsider who turned adaptability into his defining trait. He evolved from a rebellious teenage phenomenon, humbled by an underage smoking scandal, into a cerebral, record-breaking mad scientist who out-thought hitters rather than simply overpowering them.

• Scrapped the screwball after a shoulder injury and taught  ...