$61.00 $51.00
A unique piece of original art, featuring Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox.
Where shall we start with Matsuzaka? How about in high school, when he first earned national attention as the ace of Yokohama High School, a national powerhouse? That attention became superstardom when he etched himself into Japanese baseball lore with a 17 inning, 250 pitch performance in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Koshien tournament, and then threw a no-hitter to win the championship game.
After being drafted by the Seibu Lions, Matsuzaka didn’t miss a beat: he won the Pacific League Rookie of the year in 1999 as an 18-year-old. From 1999-2006, he collected enough accolades to cement him as Japan’s premier pitcher, including:
Then, in 2007, it was off to Boston after the Red Sox paid the Lions an astonishing $51MM just for the right to sign Matsuzaka and then inked the pitcher to a six-year, $52MM contract. While his MLB debut season had its up and downs, he combined with Hideki Okajima to form a 1-2 Japanese pitching combo that was vital to the Red Sox’s World Series championship run. He was the first Japanese pitcher to start and win a World Series game and set a Red Sox rookie record for strikeouts.
After a strong first two years in Boston “Dice-K” (as he became known to American fans), struggled to stay healthy. He pitched six years in Boston and two in New York with the Mets before returning to Japan with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, winning another Japan Series title in 2017. In 2018, he showed that there was still something left in the tank, as the elder statesman won the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Teenage heroics, NPB dominance, and a late-career run as the wise veteran made Matsuzaka a legend in Japan. But not to be overlooked are his efforts on the Samurai Japan national team, earning MVP en route to the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic titles.
1 in stock
This original art card handcrafted by artist Keith Kelley features a background made of a wrapper from Japan’s beloved Haribo gummy candies. The artist splattered the card with red and blue paint to match his Red Sox uniform.
The back is signed by the artist and hand-numbered 1/1, as it is the only one of its kind in existence!
Standard trading card size – approximately 2.5 x 3.5 inches.
The card will ship with a screw-down holder, as pictured.
