Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched his final game of 2016 in the maroon and yellow of the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican winter league. Matsuzaka threw seven innings in that Dec. 29 start, giving up three hits and allowing his only run in the seventh inning.
Overall, he made four appearances during his time in Puerto Rico, going 0-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings. Matsuzaka struck out 11 and walked 11. It was a better ending than the one he had with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, when he allowed five runs — two earned — in his only inning of the NPB season on Oct. 2.
Matsuzaka went to Puerto Rico hoping to get himself ready to vie for playing time next year, when he'll try to make an impact for the first time since returning to Japan from MLB in 2015.