Just a year after the circus-like build up and signing of Junichi Tazawa, the 23-year-old right-hander signed by the Sox last year out of the Japanese industrial leagues. Tazawa will be available for this weekend’s series at Yankee Stadium.
Tazawa started his career in Double-A Portland, going 9-5 with a 2.57 ERA, and earning a role as the starting pitcher for the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game. Shortly after he was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket where he was 0-2 with a 2.38 ERA.
In Double-A Tazawa posted a solid 8.1 K/9. That number was down to 4.8 in Triple-A, although it’s a small sample size. Plain and simple, the Sox are looking for a shot in the arm.
Good piece on Tazawa here by the WEEI Sports Radio Network – Junichi Tazawa’s Blistering Trail to the Majors.
18 responses so far ↓
1 hansioux // Aug 8, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Tazawa…. just gave up a game winning HR to A-rod in the 15th inning… ouch, welcome to the big leagues?
2 Shinsano // Aug 8, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I just watched the highlight. Rough start to a career. And then he almost ran into A-Rod rounding third as he walked off the field.
Still, to go from the Japanese industrial league to appearing at Yankee Stadium with the game on the line the following early August is pretty amazing.
3 Charles zh // Aug 9, 2009 at 2:53 am
No matter what, the tension from start to the end was great and felt like watching playoff game and I would give credit to A.J and Josh, both awesome!
4 hansioux // Aug 9, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I have a question…
When Tazawa left the Industrial League, did Red Sox pay some sort of fee to the team ENEOS?
The posting system probably doesn’t apply to the industrial league, is there some other forms of compensation at works here?
5 simon // Aug 10, 2009 at 2:46 am
Yeah, less than a year ago, I saw him pitch twice in an industrial league tournament at the Tokyo Dome last September. Guess there will be more major league scouts scouring the industrial leagues from now on.
6 simon // Aug 10, 2009 at 2:52 am
From the article:
“Pawtucket has been just the latest evidence that Tazawa seems unphased by any transition. He was very popular among his teammates in Portland (with whom he made a concerted effort to connect even though he still requires a translator to do so), he has adopted in full the Red Sox’ shoulder and strengthening programs as well as the organization’s outline for between-starts routines, and after having pitched exclusively out of the stretch while with Eneos, it took the pitcher just a couple of starts at the beginning of the season to become comfortable pitching out of the windup, thereby reducing the stress on his shoulder in his delivery. He became accustomed, too, to an American baseball that Tazawa described as “more slippery” than the ball used in Japan.”
A message for Dice K?
7 John Brooks // Aug 10, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Well were to going to see a good look at Tazawa real soon, as WEEI reports that Tazawa will start Tuesday v.s. Detroit.
8 John Brooks // Aug 10, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Also, to say re-iterate on what simon said earlier, I think more and more MLB teams are going to put more emphasis into watching the industrial leagues in Japan.
9 Shinsano // Aug 10, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Wow. They aren’t messing around with him. I thought he’d be in the bullpen for a while. I’ll have to watch that.
10 brendan // Aug 10, 2009 at 4:40 pm
whats the american equivalent of the industrial league, something like independent ball?
11 John Brooks // Aug 10, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Wow. They aren’t messing around with him. I thought he’d be in the bullpen for a while. I’ll have to watch that.
Yeah, I thought the same way as you, but the Red Sox either got him or Paul Byrd to go with or forced to call up Michael Bowden. Though, yeah, I’ll be watching at least on MLB Gameday to track how Tazawa does in his start despite not liking Boston, but I’m really rooting for him to do well.
12 hansioux // Aug 11, 2009 at 2:18 am
Industrial League is not quiet like Independent Ball.
In Independent Ball, players still play baseball as a profession. Japan right now has two Independent Baseball Leagues.
Industrial League is more like high level amateur baseball between large cooperation. Players besides playing baseball actually will work in the company and get benefits like a regular employee. At least back in the 80s they had to.
Some really famous companies are in the Industrial League, eg. Honda and Toyota have pretty famous Industrial League teams.
Many baseball players actually favor playing in the Industrial League for the stability. If they baseball career ended, they can work at the same company afterward.
13 Shinsano // Aug 11, 2009 at 7:54 am
They’re trying to set something similar up in Korea. There used to be a thriving industrial league, but it more or less stopped when the KBO started. Now, the KBO minor league is kind of a combination of the two, but they’re realizing they really need to get some separation between the two.
14 Shinsano // Aug 11, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Tazawa is featured on Beyond the Boxscore’s “New Arms of the Week” feature.
They’ve got him for four (or five) pitches on pitch f/x. Apparently what’s classified as a slider may just be a splitter. The system isn’t sure. I’d go back and look at the video to check, but I guess I can manage to wait a couple days until he starts. I think he throws a split though.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/8/10/984843/new-arms-of-the-weekend-tuesday
15 Patrick // Aug 12, 2009 at 4:33 am
Tazawa has a splitter, at least he did in the Industrial Leagues last year. He showed a decent curve in the video I found of him as well.
Japan has three independent leagues also — Island, BCL, and Kansai. Though the Kansai League is in bad financial shape.
16 Shinsano // Aug 12, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Can’t say Tazawa is making life borning for baseball fans…today, helps touch off a bench clearning brawl. I just watched the highlights.
Helps isn’t the right word. He came inside on Cabrera, but Miguel had his hands nearly over the plate.
I’ll go back and take a look at the start later, but he got the win and only gave up 1 ER.
17 John Brooks // Aug 12, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Yeah, I was watching Tazawa on MLB Gameday first before it crashed and then on ESPN Gameday. I must say I was impressed with Tazawa. He pitched 5 strong innings of 1 ER ball
18 Ken // Aug 13, 2009 at 12:57 am
Nick Green misplayed a couple of potential DPs in the first inning, when Detroit did their damage. From the innings I caught Tazawa looked okay.
There’s no way Tazawa meant to hit Miguel in the first inning, given that he was already in trouble. Porcello didn’t need to retaliate for that. But good for him for the take down of Youk.
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