Despite the fact that we are still waiting on an official club announcement, the murmurs are growing louder, and Tommy John surgery seems to be in the cards for Daisuke Matsuzaka. Maybe it had to end this way: a surgical procedure with an excruciating recovery period for a pitcher who has often been excruciating to watch.
In his 4+ seasons in Boston, Matsuzaka has notched a 49-30 record with a 4.25 ERA. He has pitched 622.2 innings, recording 568 strikeouts, issuing 301 walks, and allowing 64 home runs. His best season was in 2008, when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA and played 4th in Cy Young voting. In his very first season in the Majors, Matsuzaka recorded 15 wins and helped the Red Sox to their second World Series win in four years.
Since 2008, Daisuke has hit the DL multiple times each season, and has become as enigmatic as AJ Burnett when he is able to pitch. He has been the opposite of Pedro Martinez, in that you attempt to buy tickets to ANY OTHER GAME because his performances are lame and forgettable as he nibbles around the strikezone for about 5 innings.
Remember the hype surrounding him back in the 206-2007 offseason? He was coming, and then he wasn't. And then he was, and he was bringing his gyroball with him. THAT certainly never panned out, but we were all equally excited at the possibility.
The first season was satisfactory, and even if it hadn't been, it ended with a World Series, so any hiccups would have been swept under the rug in the honeymoon period. 2008 was fantastic, though Matzukaka didn't nail it down in the playoffs.
Since then, it's all been down hill. 16-15 in the last three years, and just 45 games started - I don't know about you, but I'm not all that torn up to be saying goodbye. Sure, he's turned in a gem or two over the years, but the stinkers were much more consistent, and for me, much more memorable. Sure, it's a lot of money lost, but it's not like John Henry can't afford it, eh?
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