It’s been 4 seasons since Yu Darvish last threw a pitch in a Chicago Cubs uniform but he’s still making a positive impact on his former team.

Darvish drew the start at Wrigley Field on Monday night for the San Diego Padres, keeping the Cubs scoreless for 5 innings.

His return to Chicago had the Cubs reminiscing on his tenure in blue pinstripes — and the impact he’s had in the years since.

“I have a lot of respect for Yu. He’s fantastic,” Jed Hoyer said of Darvish. “I spent a bunch of time last year talking to him about various things about this organization, about things we can do better.

“The respect he has from the Japanese players is pretty incredible. When you talk to them, who he was in Japan as a pitcher, the way he made the transition, the success he’s had but also how he carries himself and I think he really likes to mentor guys.”

Credit Darvish with an assist in bringing two of the best players on the current Cubs team to Chicago — Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga.

Imanaga talked to Darvish during the free agent process about what it is like to play in Chicago.

Darvish also helped recruit Seiya Suzuki to the Cubs before the 2022 season.

“He told [me] the city was great,” Suzuki said through interpreter Toy Matsushita at his introductory press conference. “They have a really good fanbase. And [I’m] just gonna love it here.”

Suzuki was the Cubs’ best hitter before he landed on the IL with an oblique injury in mid-April. He is nearing a return and an inconsistent Cubs lineup could use his presence in the 2-hole.

Imanaga just won the National League Rookie of the Month and his 0.78 ERA would be the best in the majors if he qualified (which he should after Tuesday night’s start).

Darvish turns 38 in August and is in his 12th MLB season. He said he doesn’t seek out Japanese players like Suzuki or Imanaga to give them advice but he obviously has a lot of experience about how to make a successful transition to the majors.

“If they feel a little bit concerned and worried about stuff, I try to talk to them so that they are not too worried and they are not too concerned,” Darvish said at Wrigley Field through interpreter Shingo Horie Monday night.

“Or vice versa: If they are on a good roll, doing well, just pat their back so they can keep going. Those are the things that I try to do for those guys.”

It says a lot about what the Cubs organization means to Darvish that his fingerprints are still all over this team.

More time has passed since the trade to San Diego than Darvish was actually with the Cubs, but it was an eventful 3 years in Chicago.

After signing a 6-year, $126 million deal prior to the 2018 season, Darvish struggled in his first year and made only 8 starts total (including none after May 20) due to a stress reaction in his elbow.

He returned with a solid 2019 and then flourished in 2020, leading the league in wins in the shortened season and finishing 2nd in the NL Cy Young voting.

Needing to slash payroll, Hoyer and the Cubs opted to trade Darvish to San Diego but the relationship has clearly remained strong.

“I really have a ton of respect for him and we had an interesting experience here,” Hoyer said. “In that he came over here, he struggled. We stuck with him, we went through that and then he was fantastic and finished 2nd in the Cy Young and had a really good endpoint.

“So it wasn’t always a smooth ride, but I’m really happy that he has really good feelings about the Cubs and I think he does look after these guys quite a bit.”

[WATCH: Hoyer addresses the media at Wrigley Field]

It helps that Cubs fans continue to embrace Darvish with open arms.

“I get warm words from Cubs fans,” he said. “They tell me to come back to Chicago and I love this stadium, too. It’s a great feeling to come back here and to be able to pitch on this mound.”

What is his response when fans tell him to come back to the Cubs?

“It’s hard to express the feelings in words so I get these smiles,” Darvish said. “Just the fact that after 4 years, they’re still sending me warm words, that just makes me happy.”