On Tuesday, Matsuzaka told WEEI.com that he hopes to play until he's 40 — or beyond.
"I think both personally and from a family standpoint, we're all enjoying our lives over here in the U.S., and if at all possible I would like to play over here as long as I can," the 29-year-old said.
"I guess in the very least I hope that I can play for at least another 10 years here in the U.S."
Matsuzaka cited Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan as someone he hopes to emulate. Ryan played his final season at age 46 for the Texas Rangers and penned a book called Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible. Veteran teammates turned Matsuzaka onto Ryan's book when Dice-K was breaking into the game over in Japan. Matsuzaka cited the book as a big influence in making sure he worked hard to stay in shape and produce.
Matsuzaka won 33 games in his first two years in Boston, but had an injury-plagued 2009 that he is hoping to bounce back from in a big way in 2010.
