We’ll be turning our attention to the World Series this afternoon — Will, our staff Cardinals correspondent, will handle the preview and traditional Sports Section video-game simulation — but before we do, an unrelated baseball item: Kyodo News reports that Yu Darvish, the standout Japanese pitcher, is indeed expected to ask to be posted by his team, which would allow him to play in America next season. (His team, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, is likely to grant his request, according to the report. Darvish otherwise wouldn’t be eligible for overseas free agency until 2014.) Of course, there have been plenty of Japanese players who’ve failed to live up to expectations in the States, but Darvish’s numbers are impressive: This season, the 25-year-old Darvish is 16-8 with a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 232 innings. And in a weak market for pitchers, he’ll surely have the attention of some Major League teams. Among those reported to have interest: the Blue Jays, Rangers, and, yep, the Yankees. [Kyodo News via Hardball Talk/NBC Sports]