In the absence of players like Daisuke Matsuzaka, one of Japanese baseball's rising stars says its time to pull together to keep the game attractive to fans.

Yu Darvish, who helped the Nippon Ham Fighters win the Japan Series last year, is one of several young players who will be expected to fill the void left by Matsuzaka, who signed a six-year, $52 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in the offseason.

"I think we have to be creative," Darvish said on his official Web site. "If all the players and people in the front offices have a positive attitude, I don't think the game here will lose its popularity."