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Yu Darvish is approaching Ichiro status in Japan. However, this time it’s not on the baseball field, but inside classrooms. He will be featured in the new edition of an English textbook, “Earthliner 09-10”, which is mainly used in high schools in Japan. Every edition of the textbook features a different public figure who has been active internationally and Darvish will be the second baseball player used after Ichiro.

A comment from the publisher states: “Darvish is popular figure with high school kids with thier similarity in age. He has made a name for himself in international competitions such as the Olympics and the WBC.”

The Earthliner textbook selects a figure that will stimulate students’ interest in English. Two pages out of the 32 page textbook will cover his career from his play, from the Koshien National High School Tournament to his performance on the international stage. Four million copies have been sent to schools around the country already and Darvish will look not only to entertain the fans at the ballpark, but the students in the classrooms as well.