Player Wives & Girlfriends

The Story

• For those not familiar with the name above you soon will be. Yu Darvish is the next great Japanese pitcher (stop me if you've heard that before) who could be coming to America next season. Currently it is considered 50-50 that he posts or basically sold to the highest bidder. But enough about Yu, as this post is really aout Yu Darvish's wife, or soon to be ex-wife Saeko. For those not familiar with Saeko she is a movie and media darling in Japan. There are a lot of rumors as to how the two meet but it does appear everyone agrees we have ourself a case of a shotgun wedding here. After dating Saeko got pregnant and the couple married quickly on 11/11,/2007 which was picked because that is Yu's number. Their first child arrive just four months later, born March 25, 2008. Saeko is considered by many to be the hottest wife in Japan, and it has recently come out the couple are in the process of getting a divorce.
  
  What we know about the divorce and how it may hurt Yu's transition to MLB:
  Now the PG version of why they are getting divorced is that the couple spent too much time apart. However it has been widely reported that Yu is a big fan of the red light district and may have been sought the company of other women while Saeko was pregnant with the couple's second child. Why is this divorce a big deal? Besides the couple being one of the most famous couples in Japan it could have a huge impact on when and if Yu posts for MLB. The divorce would involve splitting assets and money. If Yu signs with a MLB team before the divorce is finalized the money split would be based off that number, which will be a lot higher than his current contract in Japan. Some say that with the divorce looming, and unlikely to be completed during this Hot Stove season, Yu might wait until next year when the divorce is done so he doesn't give up as much money.