Daisuke Matsuzaka was so revered an entire generation of players were named after him.
Matsuzaka shot to stardom as a high school pitcher in 1998 and spent much of the next two decades living up to the hype as a professional, reaching superstardom in NPB, starring on the international level and winning a World Series title in MLB.
Now 40 years old and struggling with injuries Matsuzaka, namesake of the "Matsuzaka Generation" and one of the faces of an era in Japanese baseball, is hanging up his cleats. The veteran Seibu Lions hurler will retire at the end of the 2021 season, the team announced Wednesday.