When Daisuke Matsuzaka came face-to-face with the end of a career that spanned over two decades last week, he smiled.
It was more of a smirk at first — perhaps a sign of annoyance after walking Kensuke Kondo on five pitches — but the expression broadened when Seibu Lions pitching coach Fumiya Nishiguchi, Matsuzaka’s former teammate, arrived to remove him from his final start. Matsuzaka bowed and walked off the field as the fans at Seibu Dome, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the visitors’ dugout, showered him with applause.
There was a similar scene a few days earlier at Sapporo Dome, where Fighters pitcher Yuki Saito faced the final batter of his 11-year career. Saito had reached superstardom as a high school pitcher like Matsuzaka, but failed to emulate Dice-K’s success as a professional. Nevertheless, the “Handkerchief Prince” is still beloved and was given a hero’s sendoff that moved him to tears.