Daisuke Matsuzaka — 18 | SP
Fast Facts about Daisuke Matsuzaka
Date of Birth: 13 September 1980
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
Height: 6-0 Weight: 190
College: None
Signed: 2006 (Boston Red Sox)
Years Pro: 9
Years with Red Sox: 1
Bats: R
Throws: R
Career Pitching Statistics for Daisuke Matsuzaka through 2007 Season
SEASON
W
L
SV
IP
H
ER
SO
ERA
1999 — SL
16
5
0
180.0
124
52
151
2.60
2000 — SL
14
7
0
167.7
132
74
144
3.97
2001 — SL
15
15
0
240.3
184
96
214
3.60
2002 — SL
6
2
0
73.3
60
30
78
3.68
2003 — SL
16
7
0
194.0
165
61
215
2.83
2004 — SL
10
6
0
146.0
165
47
127
2.90
2005 — SL
14
13
0
215.0
172
55
226
2.30
2006 — SL
17
5
0
186.3
138
44
200
2.13
2007 — BOS
15
12
0
204.7
191
100
201
4.40
TOTAL
123
72
0
1607.3
1331
559
1556
3.13
More about Daisuke Matsuzaka
- His mother named him after Daisuke Araki, who was a high school baseball idol in the early 1980s. Ironically, Araki was Matsuzaka's pitching coach with the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League in 2006.
- Playing for Yokohama in the Koshien Tournament in 1998, Matsuzaka first gained notice after throwing 250 pitches in 17 innings of work against PL Gakuen in the quarterfinals. Then, in the finals, he threw a no-hitter against Kyoto Seisho, only the second ever thrown in the finals of that tournament. Upon graduation, he was picked first overall in the 1998 draft by Seibu and rewarded with a 50-million yen signing bonus along with a 13-million yen salary.
- In 1999, "Dice-K" (as he has been dubbed by Red Sox Nation) went 16-5 with a 2.60 ERA to win Rookie of the Year honors. Among the many highlights of his rookie campaign came in his first meeting against current MLB star Ichiro Suzuki; in his first three at-bats, Ichiro struck out each time.
- In 2004, Matsuzaka represented his homeland in the Summer Olympics as part of the bronze medal-winning Japanese team. He also was part of the Japanese squad that won the inaugural World Baseball Classic in March of 2006; he went 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his three starts and was the winning pitcher in the tournament's championship game. His efforts earned him tournament MVP honors.
- To acquire the rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka, Boston posted a record $51.1 million bid to Seibu. The next highest bid came from the New York Mets, who posted between $39 and $40 million for those rights. Other teams that showed interest included the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Seattle Mariners.
- Matsuzaka led all rookies in 2007 with wins (15), strikeouts (201), and innings pitched (204-2/3); his win total is one less than the major league record for wins in a season by a Japanese-born pitcher and his innings pitch total led all Boston pitchers.
- Matsuzaka became the first Japanese-born pitcher to start and win a World Series game when he earned the decision in Game Three of the series against the Rockies in Colorado, going 5-1/3 innings and giving up two runs on three hits while striking out five.
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