Daisuke Matsuzaka is making a comeback.
The former Boston Red Sox pitcher made his first start Wednesday in an exhibition game with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League. Matsuzaka had two strikeouts, allowed two walks and surrendered four hits on 57 pitches over three scoreless innings in the team’s 3-0 win over the Hanshin Tigers.
“It’s been a long time since I pitched (in Japan), and I was really wondering how it would go,” Matsuzaka said, per The Japan Times. “So there were some butterflies, and I was unable to pitch as well as I might. But I don’t think it will be like that next time.”
The 34-year-old right-hander pitched with the Red Sox from 2007 until 2012. His tenure started on a high note with Boston’s 2007 World Series win and was followed by his best season, during which he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA and finished fourth in Cy Young voting. However, his performance took a sharp decline after that.
Matsuzaka’s last stint in the MLB came with the New York Mets, where he pitched mostly in relief over parts of two seasons. He went 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA over nine starts and 25 relief appearances for New York in 2014 before signing with the SoftBank Hawks in December.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@ESPNBoston
