Seven years later, after compiling a 108-60 record in Japan, Matsuzaka will now fulfill his dream of pitching on the biggest stage of all, Major League Baseball. But the hard-throwing, 26-year-old right-hander could never have imagined that he would return to such fanfare–and for such a price. The Boston Red Sox have made Matsuzaka a $100 million man–$51 million to his former team and $52 million over six years to him.
Matsuzaka is the latest Japanese player to cross over. This year’s inaugural World Baseball Classic proved to be a showcase for Japanese talent. Japan took home the title–and Matsuzaka the MVP award after winning all three of his starts. Now he faces a real challenge: to simultaneously fulfill the dreams of two of the world’s most passionate baseball nations–Japan and Red Sox.
