Retired Japanese pitching icon Daisuke Matsuzaka gave a farewell speech at the Seibu Lions’ fan appreciation day on Saturday at Saitama Prefecture’s MetLife Dome and got more than he bargained for.
And at the very end, baseball had one more highlight for a pitcher whose name became synonymous with a generation of players. After his speech concluded, and Matsuzaka was preparing to leave the field, Lions staff urged him to return to home plate for a surprise, a video message from Ichiro Suzuki.
You can read the Kyodo News story in English.
Matsuzaka returned to the Lions, his first pro club, in 2020, but injuries prevented him from competing.
