Daisuke Matsuzaka

Japanese baseball player (born 1980) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Daisuke Matsuzaka (松坂 大輔, Matsuzaka Daisuke, [matsɯꜜzaka daꜜisɯ̥ke]; born September 13, 1980) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed "the Monster of the Heisei Era" (平成の怪物, heisei no kaibutsu)[1][2] in Japan and "Dice-K" in the United States[3] by The Boston Globe[4][5] and USA Today.[6] He played for the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Saitama Seibu Lions, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Quick facts: Daisuke Matsuzaka 松坂 大輔, Professional debut, ...
Daisuke Matsuzaka
松坂 大輔
Daisuke_Matsuzaka_on_March_7%2C_2014.jpg
Matsuzaka with the New York Mets in 2014
Pitcher
Born: (1980-09-13) September 13, 1980 (age 42)
Koto Ward, Tokyo, Japan
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Professional debut
NPB: April 7, 1999, for the Seibu Lions
MLB: April 5, 2007, for the Boston Red Sox
Last appearance
MLB: September 25, 2014, for the New York Mets
NPB: October 19, 2021, for the Saitama Seibu Lions
NPB statistics
Win–loss record114–65
Earned run average3.04
Strikeouts1,410
MLB statistics
Win-loss record56–43
Earned run average4.45
Strikeouts720
Teams
Career highlights and awards
NPB

MLB

Japan National Team

Other

Medals
Men's baseball
Representing Flag_of_Japan.svg Japan
World Baseball Classic
Gold medal – first place 2006 San Diego Team
Gold medal – first place 2009 Los Angeles Team
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Team
Asian Baseball Championship
Silver medal – second place 1999 Seoul Team
Gold medal – first place 2003 Sapporo Team
Close

Matsuzaka was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze medalist.[7]

He is the first player to have won both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic.[8]