Nov 15, 2006 12:17 pm US/Eastern
Matsuzaka 'Relieved' That Red Sox Won Bidding War
NARITA, Japan (CBS4) ―
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Daisuke Matsuzaka was the MVP of the World Baseball Classic in March.
Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was "relieved" to hear the Boston Red Sox had won the bidding battle to negotiate a $51.1 million offer for him to play in the major leagues.
"I was very surprised when I heard the figure," the 26-year-old said Wednesday before flying to the United States. "It shows that they really appreciate my ability. I know there will be a lot of pressure, but that's something I'm used to and something I enjoy."
The right-hander has a 108-60 career record with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games.
Matsuzaka said he looked forward to seeing Boston, though he stressed that he hasn't signed a contract so "it's not as though I'm on the team yet. The Red Sox are a team that has a long history, great fans and a great atmosphere."
Represented by agent Scott Boras, Matsuzaka has 30 days to negotiate a contract with the Red Sox. If he doesn't agree to a contract, the bid will not be paid.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona was tight-lipped when asked about Matsuzaka Wednesday morning. "I got my email from Theo (Epstein) this morning, that's off limits. I'll let him handle that."
Matsuzaka impressed major league scouts when he helped Japan win the inaugural World Baseball Classic title last March.
Hidekazu Ota, acting owner of Matsuzaka's Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League, announced the bid earlier Wednesday.
"I want Daisuke to realize his dreams of playing in the major leagues," Ota said. "He is a treasure in Japan and we are very pleased that the best possible evaluation has been made for him."
The Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers were thought to be among the unsuccessful bidders.
Matsuzaka, MVP of the World Baseball Classic, was 17-5 with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts for the Lions this year.
He throws in the high-90s mph, has good off-speed pitches and is known for his deceptive "gyroball."
He has long been considered one of the brightest prospects in Japanese professional baseball.
In his eight-year career in Japan, Matsuzaka led the Pacific League in wins three times and in strikeouts four times and captured the ERA title twice. He also won the Sawamura Award, Japan's version of the Cy Young award.
Sox souvenir store owner Arthur D'Angelo is excited about the business prospects. "Boston happens to get a lot of Japanese tourism and they're baseball fans like no other country in the world. So when they put a Japanese guy here and he does half decent, we'll be very successful."
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Dan Roche's Red Sox Blog
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