Tazawa, junichi

After finishing his school career in Yokohama, without receiving an invitation from any of the 12 teams in the Japan Professional Baseball League , Tajawa joined the Nippon Oil corporation, a non- NPB corporate league team member.

In 2008, he showed a 10-1 result with a 1.02 ERA and 95 strike outs in 88 and 1/3 innings. In the national corporate league, he managed to make two consecutive buffs, including a winning quarterfinal match with Hitati , ending 4-0, where he gave only 4 hits, did not allow a single walk and made 10 strike outs. Less than a day later, Tajawa appeared as a Religious Pitcher in the semi-finals against Central Japan Railway . He spent 2 and 2/3 of the inning, in which he made three hits, made one strike-out and gave one decisive wound, which ended the match with a defeat with a score of 2-3. Tazawa was recognized as the most valuable player in the championship with a score of 4-0 and 36 strike outs.

In September 2008, Tajawa announced his intention to skip the NPB draft to pursue a career in MLB . During the 2008 season, his coach Hideaki Okubo convinced him to try to start a career in MLB and not sign a contract with NPB teams. If Tazawa joined one of the Japanese professional teams, he would have to wait nine years until he became a free agent, or hope that his club would bid him for a special auction for the right of MLB teams to negotiate a contract with him .

To avoid conflict between Japanese and American clubs, Tazawa asked NPB clubs not to choose him at the nearest draft. 12 teams complied with his request, however, they added a condition according to which any amateur player who signs a contract with a foreign club must wait two to three years before he can join the Japanese team.

When Tazawa attracted the attention of American scouts, the NPB announced that there was a gentlemanly agreement between the major leagues of the two nations against signing contracts between MLB clubs and Japanese amateurs. The New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said his club would not sign Tazawa due to a partnership agreement between the Yankees and the Yomiuri Jayants NPB club. However, MLB vice president of human resources Rob Manfred has denied having such agreements with respect to Japanese amateur players.

Boston Red Sox

December 4, 2008 Tazawa signed a $ 3 million contract with Boston Red Sox for three years of performance. After his debut on August 7, 2009, he became just the third Japanese player in history, after Mac Suzuki and Kazuhito Tadano, who made his debut in MLB earlier than in the professional league of Japan.

On March 22, 2009, the Red Sox incorporated Tazawa as part of their Portland Sea Dogs affiliate team.

After reaching 9-5 with 18 starts and a 2.57 ERA with Portland, July 27, 2009 Tazawa was transferred to the AAA class in the Pawtucket Red Sox team. Speaking in Portland, Tazawa was included in the Eastern League team of stars, was second in the number of victories in the championship and third in the number of strike outs.

August 7, 2009 Tazawa was transferred to the main team after the Boston Red Sox refused the services of veteran John Smoltz . He made his debut that same night in a match against the New York Yankees at the Yankee Stadium in the 14th inning. Tazawa was the last pitcher left at the Red Sox in bullpen. The first batter he had a chance to meet was his compatriot Hideki Matsui , whom he put out. But below the 15th inning, Tazawa got a double decisive home run from Alex Rodriguez .

Tazawa’s first start at MLB took place on August 11, 2009 in a match against the Detroit Tigers . In the first inning, Tazawa fell into the hand of the first baseman Miguel Cabrera , trying to raise the fastball trajectory. In response, the Tigers pitcher Rick Porsello tried to get into Victor Martinez . In the next inning, Cabrera was forced to leave the game due to ongoing pain in his hand. And when the turn to serve reached Porsello, he first hit Kevin Jukilis, after which the latter attacked the pitcher, which led to a brawl involving both teams and the removal of both players. Tajawa spent 5 innings in the match, earned a victory, missed one injury and made 6 strike outs. The second start of Tazawa was the game against the Texas Rangers , but this time everything turned out less successfully. He received four injuries, 10 hits and made three walks in 5 innings, earning defeat. In his third start, Tazawa met with the team that ruined his debut, the New York Yankees . Tazawa gave 6 dry innings, gave 8 hits, 2 walks and made two strike outs, gaining a victory.

In April 2010, Tazawa underwent an operation to restore the elbow ligaments, after which rehabilitation usually takes from 9 months to a year.

As of July 2011, Tajawa is gaining shape after the operation, playing on the Red Sox subsidiary in the Double-A division - Portland Sea Dogs.

Statistics on ESPN