Fourteen years after leaving the Saitama Seibu Lions to play in the major leagues, right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka has returned to the Pacific League club.
"I want to put on the Lions uniform as soon as possible," Matsuzaka said at a press conference on Wednesday in Tokyo to announce his signing with the Lions.
The 39-year-old Matsuzaka, released after the 2019 season by the Chunichi Dragons, signed a one-year contract for an estimated 30 million yen and will wear uniform No. 16.
Matsuzaka spent eight seasons in the major leagues, mainly with the Boston Red Sox, before returning to Japan in 2015. After one season with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and a year out of Japanese baseball, he played the last two with Chunichi.
After being released by the Dragons, the Lions came calling for one of their top stars of the past.
"They reached out to me right away," Matsuzaka said. "I never thought twice about it."
Matsuzaka, who first left Seibu for Boston through the posting system in 2007, added, "Going back to the Lions is like going back home."
Matsuzaka started his pro career with Seibu in 1999 as a No. 1 draft pick out of Yokohama High School. He was named the PL Rookie of the Year that year, when he posted double-digit wins for the first of three straight seasons.
In eight major league seasons with the Red Sox and New York Mets, he compiled a 56-43 record with a 4.45 earned run average.
This past season, he appeared in two games for the Dragons and had a 0-1 record.
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