Daisuke Matsuzaka, baseball player, 2007-2014

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Born: 9/13/1980 in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

MLB Debut: 2007-04-05 | Final Game: 2014-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 205 lbs

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Biography

Daisuke Matsuzaka, born in 1980, was a prominent Japanese pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2014. Renowned for his exceptional pitching skills and unique delivery, Matsuzaka quickly gained attention both in Japan and the United States. He was instrumental in the globalization of baseball, representing a new era of Japanese talent entering the MLB, following the footsteps of legends like Hideo Nomo. Throughout his career, Matsuzaka compiled a record of 56-43 with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.45, showcasing his ability to strike out batters, totaling 720 strikeouts. He also recorded one save during his time in the league. Known for his signature " gyroball," Matsuzaka's pitching style captivated fans and analysts alike, contributing to the growing interest in international players during the 2000s. His tenure in MLB coincided with a transformative period in baseball, characterized by the influx of talent from overseas and the increased competitiveness of the league.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
56 43 158 132 1 0 1 790.3 721 391 85 387 720 4.45 0

Career ERA 4.45 vs. league average 4.09 across their career seasons — 8.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2007 BOS AL 15 12 32 32 1 0 0 204.7 191 100 80 201 4.40 4.47 (+2%) 1314.5
2008 BOS AL 18 3 29 29 0 0 0 167.7 128 54 94 154 2.90 4.32 (+33%) 1262.7
2009 BOS AL 4 6 12 12 0 0 0 59.3 81 38 30 54 5.76 4.32 (-33%) -1147.2
2010 BOS AL 9 6 25 25 0 0 0 153.7 137 80 74 133 4.69 4.08 (-15%) 123.3
2011 BOS AL 3 3 8 7 0 0 0 37.3 32 22 23 26 5.30 3.94 (-35%) -951.4
2012 BOS AL 1 7 11 11 0 0 0 45.7 58 42 20 41 8.28 4.01 (-106%) -2220.4
2013 NYN NL 3 3 7 7 0 0 0 38.7 32 19 16 33 4.42 3.87 (-14%) -438.1
2014 NYN NL 3 3 34 9 0 0 1 83.3 62 36 50 78 3.89 3.74 (-4%) -999.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
158 37 0 7 0 0 0 3 0 1 16 0.189 0.211 0.189 0.400 0.0

Career AVG .189 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 26.7% below league average.

Career OBP .211 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career SLG .189 vs. league average .406 across their career seasons — 53.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.400 vs. league average 0.731 across their career seasons — 45.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2007 BOS AL 32 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2008 BOS AL 29 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2009 BOS AL 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2010 BOS AL 25 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
2011 BOS AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 BOS AL 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2013 NYN NL 7 12 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.250 — — — — 0.0
2014 NYN NL 34 11 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.182 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2008 ALCS BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2008 ALDS1 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2007 ALCS BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2007 ALDS1 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2007 WS BOS 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0.333

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 1 7 7 0 35.7 39 19 17 33 4.79

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2008 ALCS BOS 1 0 2 2 0 11.0 9 5 6 11 4.09
2008 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 1 1 0 5.0 8 3 3 5 5.40
2007 ALCS BOS 1 1 2 2 0 9.7 12 6 2 9 5.59
2007 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 1 1 0 4.7 7 3 3 3 5.79
2007 WS BOS 1 0 1 1 0 5.3 3 2 3 5 3.38

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 158 132 47 75 3 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2007 BOS P 32 32 11 23 0 3
2008 BOS P 29 29 16 19 1 2
2009 BOS P 12 12 2 5 0 2
2010 BOS P 25 25 8 12 2 2
2011 BOS P 8 7 0 2 0 0
2012 BOS P 11 11 6 2 0 0
2013 NYN P 7 7 1 4 0 0
2014 NYN P 34 9 3 8 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 158

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2007 Player of the Week Week of 2007-05-19

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2014 NYN NL $1,500,000
2012 BOS AL $10,333,333
2011 BOS AL $10,333,333
2010 BOS AL $8,333,333
2009 BOS AL $8,333,333
2008 BOS AL $8,333,333
2007 BOS AL $6,333,333
Total Career Earnings $53,499,998

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2008 Cy Young Award AL 4th 10.0 140 0
2007 Rookie of the Year AL 4th 12.0 140 0