BOSTON — Daisuke Matsuzaka threw his first pitch off the Fenway Park mound Thursday, the end of an 8,000-mile journey that the Red Sox hope will give them a new ace.
Boston announced Matsuzaka's $52 million, six-year contract at a packed news conference that ended several long days of negotiation. Now it wants the Japanese star to follow Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez as a dominant major-leaguer.
"In our minds, it was not a certainty until the very end," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said.
Red Sox officials and the pitcher's agent spent the early part of the week negotiating in Newport Beach, Calif., where bargaining often bogged down.
But on Wednesday morning — with a preliminary agreement and Matsuzaka and agent Scott Boras on board — Epstein and other team officials got on principal owner John Henry's plane and headed east.
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Despite the often contentious negotiations, Red Sox officials, Matsuzaka and Boras smiled broadly at a news conference that was punctuated by repeated flashes from dozens of media cameras.
"I'd like to contribute to the world championship," Matsuzaka said. "I'd like to meet Curt Schilling."
Pitchers and catchers report for spring training Feb. 16 in Fort Myers, Fla. Matsuzaka, 26, will join Schilling in a strong rotation that includes Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and Tim Wakefield. The Red Sox also will have another Japanese pitcher, lefty reliever Hideki Okajima, in training camp. He signed Nov. 30.
"For the next six years we hope to get the prime of (Matsuzaka's) career," Epstein said. "We want Daisuke to be a Red Sox for the rest of his career."
They are certainly making a huge investment.
Add the team's winning $51.11 million bid for negotiating rights to the Japanese ace, which must be paid to the Seibu Lions by Dec. 21, to the $52 million contract, and Boston's investment comes to $103.11 million. That does not include $8 million in escalators based on Matsuzaka winning awards.
"Today, what we're really doing is announcing the signing of a national treasure," Epstein said. "We understand his importance in Japan. We know what he represents."
Matsuzaka was then handed a jersey with the No. 18 — the number worn by Johnny Damon before he left for the New York Yankees as a free agent.
Matsuzaka said he had toured Fenway Park — a place he had seen several times on television — and saw ongoing renovations before his news conference.
Inside pitch
● The Devil Rays were closing in on an agreement with Japanese star infielder Akinori Iwamura and are likely to finalize a deal today in what would be Tampa Bay's first major move of the off-season.
The team submitted a winning bid of $4.55 million for the rights to negotiate with the six-time Gold Glove third baseman and have until 10 tonight to reach agreement on a contract to bring him to the major leagues.
● Miguel Batista finalized a $25 million, three-year contract with Seattle on Thursday.
The signing adds another proven starter to the rotation, but one with a losing career record who is not the front-line No. 1 pitcher that management and fans have been seeking.
Batista, who will turn 36 early in spring training, will be pitching for his seventh team. In his second stint with Arizona last year, Batista tied a career high with 11 victories and eclipsed 200 innings.
