Daisuke Matsuzaka — 18 | SP

Date of Birth: 13 September 1980
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
Height: 6-0 Weight: 190
Bats: Right Throws: Right
College: None
Signed: 2006 (Boston Red Sox)

Years Pro: 11
Years with Red Sox: 3

Career Pitching Statistics through 2009 Season

SEASON W L SV IP H ER SO ERA

2007 — BOS 15 12 0 204.7 191 100 201 4.40

2008 — BOS 18 3 0 167.7 128 54 154 2.90

2009 — BOS 4 6 0 59.3 81 38 54 5.77

TOTAL 37 21 0 431.7 400 192 409 4.00

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.
With the 2008 opener for Boston being played in Japan against the Oakland Athletics, Matsuzaka became the first Japanese-born pitcher to start a game for an MLB club playing in Japan. Matsuzaka earned a no-decision in an eventual 6-5 Red Sox win.

Memorable Moments for Daisuke Matsuzaka

13 December 2006 - The Red Sox agree to terms with Far East phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka on a six-year, $52 million contract pending a physical; options make the deal potentially worth $60 million overall to the veteran Japanese pitcher. Boston had outbid every other team for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka, offering a $51.1 million bid to the Seibu Lions of the Japan's Pacific League.
17 April 2007 - Despite a 2-1 loss, Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka strikes out 10 Blue Jays batters to become only the second pitcher in major league history to record double-digit strikeout totals in his first three starts, the other being Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.