Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka now has a little extra incentive to strike out opposing batters.
Matsuzaka will donate $500 to the Red Sox Foundation for every regular season strikeout he earns as part of "Dice-K’s Strikeouts for Kids," the pitcher and his wife, Tomoyo, announced on Tuesday.
"I’ve always been interested in charities," Matsuzaka said. "My wife and I talked about what we could do as parents and we felt the strong urge to help children, which led to our involvement with the Red Sox Foundation.
"It may start out modest, but I hope that it will eventually become a great movement and the catalyst for something positive," he added. "Realizing the need to get actively involved with charities is one of the great things about coming to America. I am delighted that I can support Red Sox Foundation, which does important work for the community. First and foremost, I am honored to be part of Red Sox team."
The donation starts retroactively from the beginning of the 2010 season. As of Tuesday, Matsuzaka has tallied 65 strikeouts, amounting in $32,500 for the Red Sox Foundation.
"We are deeply grateful and we know that fans across Red Sox Nation will be cheering even more loudly since every strike out means the Red Sox Foundation can do more for children in need, thanks to his generous support," said Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.
Matsuzaka also announced that he will donate some of the proceeds from his memorabilia sales to the Red Sox Foundation and to charities in his native Japan.
