Daisuke Matsuzaka Facing Suspension From Japanese Team for Golfing on Practice Day
By Austin Pert
Well, this is a story you won't see everyday. Former Major League Baseball hurler and current Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has been handed discipline by his Chunichi Dragons. For golfing?
Chunichi Dragons pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka faces a penalty from the club for breaking team rules, by playing golf on a team practice day. Matsuzaka is still in rehab after his arm got injured when a fan pulled on it in Spring Training camphttps://t.co/2r6VF8nFcS #npb
— NPB on reddit (@NPB_Reddit) May 16, 2019
According to Japanese media, Matsuzaka was golfing in the Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo on a day that he should have been continuing to rebab his arm. Matsuzaka has apologized to his team.
The former Red Sox and Mets pitcher suffered from his ongoing injury when a fan yanked his arm at an event before the season.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (yes, he's still pitching) suffered a bizarre shoulder injury after an "overzealous fan" yanked his arm during a fan event in Japan: https://t.co/80R36r1Tcc pic.twitter.com/tN0EJjaeY3
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) February 13, 2019
Matsuzaka played for Boston from 2007-2012 and New York from 2013-2014. In his first two seasons with Boston, he recorded 33 wins and won a World Series with the team before having to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2011. He returned to his native country after his two years with the Mets, and posted a 3.74 ERA in NPB a season ago.
Matsuzaka was the MVP of the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009. He was also the first player to win both a WBC and World Series title.
At 38 years old, the pitcher only has so much baseball left ahead of him, so it would be wise to save the golf for another time and focus on getting back on the field as soon as possible. While he's at it, he may want to avoid crazy fans as well.