Daisuke Matsuzaka

Daisuke Matsuzaka (松 坂 大 辅Japanese, Daisuke Matsuzaka, born 13 September 1980 in Aomori Prefecture ) is a Japanese baseball player in Major League Baseball. He plays as a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians before he was with the Boston Red Sox and the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Japanese professional league. In 2006 he was awarded the victory of Japan in the World Baseball Classic MVP, and with the national team he won at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the bronze medal.

Biography

Childhood and school days

Matsuzaka was born in the home of his mother in Aomori. A month after his birth his family moved to his father's home after Kōtō in Tokyo, where he is also reported. The name " Daisuke " 1980 was popular with baseball fans after the pitcher Daisuke Araki (荒木 大 辅) had successful debuts at Koshien tournament.

After Matsuzaka had played in the elementary and middle school ( junior high school) already excellent baseball, Matsuzaka visited from April 1996, the Yokohama High School (High School), which has a great baseball tradition and has trained a number of professional players. In his second year, he became the star pitcher of his school. In the semi-final qualifying for the Summer Koshien in the same year he had to cope with a setback when he had to score the opposing team because of a wild pitch. Definitely willing to make amends to his mistake, he trained very hard in the off-season, and during this time his fastball, he can accelerate regularly to around 140 km / h developed. His nickname was the " Heisei monster " (平成 の 怪物, heisei no kaibutsu ).

With his team Matsuzaka won after the spring Koshien in 1998 and did his utmost to pitch his school during the following summer tournament to win. With three legendary performances Matsuzaka was the first time the nationally acclaimed heroes and brought the high school Yokohama to victory.

3 days on Summer Koshien 1998

In the quarter- finals of the Summer Koshien Matsuzaka threw 250 pitches in a 17- inning victory over the PL- secondary school ( PL学园). In the game the next day Matsuzaka began as a left fielder, at the beginning of the eighth inning lay back his team 6-0, but was able to catch in the eighth four runs. While his team last inning could turn the game with four more points, Matsuzaka came as a reliever into the game and prevented with 15 pitches more runs of the opponent. In the final of the tournament, he threw a no-hitter, the second in the history of Koshien. Matsuzaka was known not only in the national baseball audience, but also in the Scouts of the professional teams.

Baseball players who were born in the same academic year as Matsuzaka (ie, between 1 April 1980 and 31 March 1981) and thus simultaneously played in high school, are today throughout Japan as " Matsuzaka Generation " (松 坂 世代, Matsuzaka Sedai ) (yes ) indicates. These include Tsuyoshi Wada ( Rookie of the Year 2003), Toshiya Sugiuchi ( Sawamura Award 2005 ) and Nagisa Arakaki ( Strikeout Champion 2004).

Before the Draft of the professional teams in 1998 Matsuzaka announced in the press that he would only play for the Yokohama BayStars or the Yomiuri Giants and would any other team as soon as possible about the Gyaku Shimei system (逆 指名 制度, for players of the first two draft rounds) leave. He was in the first round (which is then no predetermined draft order among the teams were ) from the Seibu Lions, the Yokohama BayStars and Hokkaido Nippon Ham as the first choice mentioned. With the draw, the Lions were awarded the contract. After weeks of talks and a dinner with the Lions manager Osamu Higasio, who had played even 20 years as a pitcher for the Lions and gave him the ball from his 200th win, Matsuzaka made ​​his negative attitude.

Professional career in Japan

In his first outing as a starter in the 1999 season against the Nippon Ham Fighters at Tokyo Dome Matsuzake scored his first win. His first strikeout he threw in the first inning with a fastball of 155 km / h Later in the game an opposing batter went after him, feeling demonstrated by a 18- year-old inside the high -litter. A team-mate saved him and threw the batter against insults. The first home run against Matsuzaka posted Yasuaki Taho by the Hanshin Tigers in a game during spring training. The first home run in a regular game, he allowed Michihiro Ogasawara of the Nippon Ham Fighters.

On 16 May 1999 he met as a rookie for the first time on the star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki of the Orix Blue Wave. In three at bats Ichirō conceded three strikeouts and a walk. Matsuzaka said later that the first time he got in this game, the feeling of belonging to professional baseball. As a little revenge Ichirō scored his 100th home run in July of the same year against Matsuzaka.

Even in his rookie year in 1999 Matsuzaka was the starter of the All- Star Games for the Pacific League. Expectations were high and the media speculated how many strikeouts would succeed him; Masatoshi Hamada from the comedy duo Downtown even appeared as a guest on the television broadcast and fired at him. But Matsuzaka get only two strikeouts against Takuro Ishii and Takanori Suzuki, Yoshinobu Takahashi before it took off from the Giants a flyball into leftfield.

At the end of Matsuzaka rookie season in 1999 he set himself up as the best pitcher for the rotation of his team 16 wins and 5 Losses to beech and was as Rookie of the Year (新人 王, shinjin'ō ) Award and became the first rookie also equal to the Best Nine (ベスト ナイン; price of sports journalists ) was added and the Golden Glove (ゴールデン グラブ 賞; Fielder- price equivalent to the Gold Glove ) honored. Rookie of the Year the Central League, the pitcher Koji Uehara was with 20 wins; were together the two years to the dominant pitcher of their respective leagues.

As part of his contract Matsuzaka also got tickets for the World Series at Yankee Stadium in 1999. Even then, he became interested in the desire to one day play in the major leagues. His favorite pitcher was David Cone, impressed him the idea of ​​Roger Clemens in the fourth game of the series.

In the following two seasons, 2000 and 2001, Matsuzaka records of 14-7 and 15-15. In 2001 he won the Sawamura Award for best pitcher.

A large part of the 2002 season, Matsuzaka spent on the Disabled List. Although he was the Nihon Series 2002, competed in the Lions against the giants Yomiuri Giants, fit again, but had not yet regained his form. In the away games ( no DH ) he was initially taken as the seventh batter in the lineup; but he could not show his above-average hitter for a pitcher qualities, nor his usual strength on the Mound. He had to allow two home runs in the fourth and final game in which he was employed with the score at 2-2 as a reliever in the first game, the Giants scored the decisive run against him for guidance, won the game (6-2 ) and the Championship ( 4-0).

Matsuzaka was in the 2003 season with 16 wins and 7 losses back to shape. By 2.83 he had the best ERA of the Pacific League. For the national team, he pitched in the qualifiers for the Olympic Games of Athens against the team of South Korea.

Awards and Records in Japan

  • Rookie of the Year: 1999
  • Sawamura Award: 2001
  • Best Nine: 1999, 2000, 2001
  • Golden Glove: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
  • Participation in the All-Star Game: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 ( MVP), 2005, 2006
  • Most wins in the Pacific League: 1999 (16) 2000 ( 14) 2001 ( 15)
  • Most strikeouts in the Pacific League: 2000 (144), 2001 (214), 2003 (215), 2005 (226)
  • Best ERA in the Pacific League: 2003 ( 2.83 ) 2004 ( 2.90 )

Olympic Games 2004 and World Baseball Classic

In baseball tournament of the Summer Olympic Games in Athens Matsuzaka was a key player of the Japanese national team. After Japan had completed the group stage first, the team lost the semi-final against Australia and eventually won in the match for third place against Canada the bronze medal.

At the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, set up the experiment, a World Cup of the best professional teams, Japan defeated Cuba in the final. In the 10-6 victory Matsuzaka pitched four innings in which he allowed only one run. With an overall record of 3 Wins 0 Losses and 1:38 ERA in 13 innings, he was named the MVP of the tournament. At the World Baseball Classic in 2009, in which Japan was able to defend his title, Matsuzaka was once again awarded as MVP.

Transfer to Major League

On 25 October 2006 Scott Boras was presented as an agent Matsuzaka, who was to represent him in contract negotiations in Major League Baseball. On November 2, he received from the Lions permission system via the post to go to the MLB. On 14 November 2006, the Boston Red Sox outbid the Texas Rangers, the New York Mets and the New York Yankees with a record bid of $ 51,111,111.11 - the previous record transfer fee in the posting system amounted to approximately $ 13 million for Ichirō Suzuki - and received the bid for Matsuzaka. The Red Sox had the contract negotiations within 30 days to complete, otherwise he would have stayed with the Lions. Red Sox manager Theo Epstein said of the record amounts due, the team had gone very aggressive in the posting process and have had the total amount of release and contract sum in mind from the outset; but Scott Boras refused to involve the transfer fee in the contract negotiations. On December 11, Epstein, the Red Sox owner John W. Henry and CEO Larry Lucchino went up in a plane to make it " directly to [ Boras ] record ."

On 13 December, the leaders of the Red Sox agreed with Boras and Matsuzaka in a private airplane Henry, in which Boston and Japanese media were present. In Boston, Matsuzaka passed the medical examination and signed a $ 52- million contract that could reach through premiums a total of $ 60 million. The contract terms include a contract bonus of $ 2 million, a salary of $ 6 million in the first, $ 8 million in the next three (2008-2010 ) and $ 10 million in the last two ( 2011-2012) seasons. The contract also contains a specially adapted non -sale clause.

The final agreement was announced on 14 December afternoon at five clock at a press conference at Fenway Park. Some commentators mentioned the confusion that donated the translator Matsuzaka, whose translations were brief and sometimes incomprehensible. A clearly understandable statement Matsuzaka was: "I am very glad and happy to play for the Boston Red Sox. "

Matsuzaka Frühajhrstraining first took place in February and March 2007 in Fort Myers, Florida. He pitched well in the friendlies. Matsuzaka got the shirt number 18, the same number he wore in Japan following his example Masumi Kuwata.

Nickname in the U.S.

In the U.S., Matsuzaka received the nickname " D -Mat " and often " Dice -K " which American pronounced the correct pronunciation of Daisuke comes closest ( and is also used for other Daisuke ). Since Pitcher Matsuzaka is has the letter K in the statistics nor a special meaning: A K is a strikeout, of which particularly many he throws in good games.

Career in Major League

Making his first appearance of the start of a regular game of Major League had Matsuzaka on April 6, 2007 in a Daygame against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. He allowed a walk to, pitched 10 strikeouts and threw 10 batters in succession from the game. In 108 litters ( 74 of them strikes ) were able to achieve only six hits and a solo homer opponents. The win for the 4-1 victory was credited to him. In his home debut at Fenway Park against the Seattle Mariners ( with his old opponent Ichirō Suzuki) lost the Red Sox 3-0. His third start was a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, Matsuzaka was the first pitcher for the Major League since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, who succeeded in two of his first three starts ten or more strikeouts. after the third game, he said in a press conference that he only gradually accustom themselves to the American Baseball, which is slightly larger than the ball in the Japanese professional league.

Matsuzaka threw his first Complete Game in MLB on 14 May 2007 in a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers; in Japan, he had pitched over 60 Complete Games. On 10 August 2007, he broke the record of 156 Strikouts a rookie for the Boston Red Sox; at the end of the regular season in 2007 were 201 strikeouts in his statistics. With his victory on September 28, 2007 against the Minnesota Twins were the Red Sox first of the Eastern Division. His first Major League season ended with a record of 15-12 and an ERA of 4.40.

In his first playoffs in Major League and the following World Series Matsuzaka pitched a total of 19 2/3 innings in four starts with two wins and one loss ( 5:03 ERA ). With his victory in the third game of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies on 27 October 2007, he also scored his first hit in the major leagues - in the American League in which to play the Red Sox, the pitcher comes because of the DH rule normally not to strike - a two -run single, making him the third pitcher in history after Cy Young and Babe Ruth in 1918, who scored in a game of the World Series two RBI. Matsuzaka was also the first Japanese pitcher, who was able to record a win in the World Series as a starter. A day later, on 28 October, won the Red Sox also the fourth game of the World Series and thus the championship.

Family

Matsuzaka is married to the television journalist Tomoyo Shibata, who previously worked at Nippon TV. 2005 was born their daughter Niko and 2008, their second child, a boy.

When the two 2000 first met and went out with each other, had to Matsuzaka, who according to Japanese law was still a minor at the time, pay a fine and was blocked by the Lions for a month after he had visited her at night without a license with the ( illegally parked ) car.

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