Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka said yesterday he was "relieved" to hear the Boston Red Sox had won the bidding battle to negotiate with a US$51.1 million offer for him to play in the major leagues.
"To be honest, my first reaction was relief," the 26-year-old right hander told a news conference at the airport just outside Tokyo before boarding a plane for the US. "I was very nervous, so it was a relief.
"I was very surprised when I heard the figure," he said. "It shows that they really appreciate my ability. I know there will be a lot of pressure, but that's something I'm used to and something I enjoy."
Matsuzaka said he looked forward to seeing Boston, but stressed that he hasn't signed a contract so "it's not as though I'm on the team yet."
"The Red Sox are a team that has a long history, great fans and a great atmosphere," he added.
The bid was announced earlier in the day by Hidekazu Ota, acting owner of Matsuzaka's Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League.
"I want Daisuke to realize his dreams of playing in the major leagues," Ota said. "I talked to him today, and he is very happy."
The pitcher, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, has 30 days to negotiate a contract with the Red Sox. If Matsuzaka doesn't agree to a contract, the bid will not be paid.
"He is a treasure in Japan and we are very pleased that the best possible evaluation has been made for him," Ota added.
The Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers were thought to be among the unsuccessful bidders.
Matsuzaka, MVP of the World Baseball Classic, was 17-5 with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts for the Lions this year. He throws in the mid-140s kph, has good off-speed pitches and is known for his deceptive "gyroball."
He has long been considered one of the brightest prospects in Japanese professional baseball.
In his eight-year career in Japan, Matsuzaka has led the Pacific League in wins three times and in strikeouts four times while winning the ERA title twice and the Sawamura Award, Japan's version of the Cy Young pitching award, once.
Matsuzaka impressed major league scouts when he helped Japan win the inaugural World Baseball Classic title last March.
Matsuzaka has a 108-60 career record with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games and 1,402-2/3 innings.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
RSS