By Lew Patton
Texas Rangers star pitcher Yu Darvish, 28, has revealed in his blog that his partner and former wrestling world champion Seiko Yamamoto, 34, is pregnant.
“Ms. Seiko Yamamoto and I have been blessed with a child,” Darvish said in his post. “We found out the end of last year, but decided to wait until she was in a stable period before announcing the news.”
Darvish said they had yet to decide on marriage and other matters.
Yamamoto, 34, won the women’s world championship in the 55 kilogram division – 121 pounds – annually from 1999-2002. According to Japanese media reports, she currently is working as a coach with the USA Wrestling. Yamamoto is not listed on the organization’s website.
Yamamoto’s father, Ikuei, wrestled for Japan in the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich. Her brother, Norifumi, is a mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competes in the Bantamweight division of the UFC.
Darvish and Yamamoto have each been married once.