Former Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was a global phenomenon at the height of his Major League Baseball career.
Now, 42 years old and retired, Matsuzaka hasn’t thrown the cleats up entirely just yet.
On Thursday, Matsuzaka — alongside ex-Seattle Mariners icon Ichiro Suzuki — took the diamond during an amateur club contest at the Tokyo Dome. However, Matsuzaka didn’t take the mound as he was previously known for. Instead, the Japanese native patrolled shortstop while Suzuki took the mound. Then, in the second inning, viewers got to see exactly what the former big leaguer had left in the tank with Matsuzaka cleanly fielding a grounder glove side before getting the runner at first base.
Watch Matsuzaka’s flashy glove work here, courtesy of Sporting News:
Did the Red Sox not know they had a Gold Glove-caliber middle infielder in their pitching rotation this whole time?
Who knows. Nevertheless, this unheard-of position shift that sounds completely made up will surely make Red Sox fans reminiscent of Matsuzaka’s tenure with the club.
Debuting with the Red Sox as an international free agent signing from Japan in 2007, Matsuzaka aided Boston’s World Series sweep over the Colorado Rockies that year. In that Fall Classic matchup, Matsuzaka took home a win after going 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs off three hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
The end of Matsuzaka’s baseball career came in 2021 when he retired as a member of the Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League.
