[新聞] Matsuzaka sweepstakes on horizon

看板Asian-MLB作者Roshiel (98.to/evilfox)時間18年前 (2006/08/07 20:16)推噓8(8推 0噓 5→)

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※ [本文轉錄自 NY-Yankees 看板] 作者: HIPOP4EVER (LET'S GO YANKEES!!!) 站內: NY-Yankees 標題: [新聞] Matsuzaka sweepstakes on horizon 時間: Mon Aug 7 18:32:11 2006 From seattletimes http://0rz.net/8a1EV Daisuke Matsuzaka became an instant legend in Japan in 1998 as a teenager, when his three-day performance in the hugely popular National High School Baseball Championships was of mythic proportions. 松土反大輔在1998年當他還是高中生時，曾經在甲子園決賽中連續三天出賽，這種不可思議的紀錄，讓他在當年即迅速的竄紅。 Competing at the hallowed Koshien Stadium near Kobe, Matsuzaka won the quarterfinal game for his Yokohama team by pitching all 17 innings of an extra- inning game — 250 pitches' worth. 松土反大輔在甲子園半準決賽中，投了整整17局，用了250球，帶領橫濱隊贏得勝利。 The next day in the semifinals, with his right pitching arm wrapped in bandages , according to Time magazine, Matsuzaka played the outfield until the ninth, when he took the mound to save the victory. And in the championship game the following day, Matsuzaka pitched a nine-inning no-hitter, and has been a Japanese hero ever since. 接著在隔一天的準決賽中，根據時代雜誌的報導，右手臂纏繞著繃帶的松土反在第九局又上場救援(之前幾局擔任外野手)。隨後在冠軍戰中，松土反投了一場9局無安打的比賽，至此他成為了日本前無古人後、無來者的英雄。 Now Matsuzaka is poised this winter to be the next Japanese star to try the major leagues — provided that his Japanese team, the Seibu Lions, lets him make the move after their season ends. 現在松土反已經做好闖蕩ＭＬＢ的準備了，只待西武獅的放行。 Whether Seibu will do so is an open question that draws considerable variance of opinion. Because Matsuzaka will not be a free agent until after the 2008 season, his only route to the United States before then is if Seibu agrees to "post" him — the same method by which Ichiro joined the Mariners after the 2000 season. 每個人都在討論西武獅的意向，因為松土反一直要等到2008年才會變成自由球員，在此之前松土反要闖蕩ＭＬＢ就是西武獅同意採用招標系統，就和2000年鈴木一朗加入水手隊的模式一樣。 I surveyed a cross-section of major-league officials, scouts and media with knowledge of Japanese baseball, and found virtually a 50-50 split of opinion on whether Matsuzaka will be posted this winter by Seibu — which has twice already denied his request to be posted. 我調查了全大聯盟的官方態度，包括對日職有了解的球探以及媒體，發現認為西武獅會在今年冬天將松土反進行招標(之前拒絕過松土反兩次招標)的可能性是一半一半。 The Mariners are intensely interested in the outcome of this issue. While most teams in baseball will vet Matsuzaka, the consensus is that it will ultimately come down to the Mariners, the most successful major-league team in mining Japanese talent, and the Yankees, who have already begun laying the groundwork for a massive Matsuzaka pursuit. 當大多數的球隊還抱持觀望的態度時，水手則對此結果展現出高度的興趣。有報導指出松土反最後可能落腳於水手，這個全大聯盟最會挖掘日本球星的球隊;或是落腳於已張開雙手歡迎松土反的洋基隊。 The Yankees, as revealed recently by Sankei Sports and Newsday, have hired Shoichi Kida as an associate scout based in Japan. Kida went to the same high school as Matsuzaka (though four years before the pitcher) and was his teammate for a time with the Lions. 根據日本產經體育以及紐約日報的透露，洋基已經雇用了Shoichi Kida來當作日本區的專業球探。Kida是松土反高中學長，並曾經是松土反西武獅的隊友。 If Matsuzaka is available this winter, he will instantly join Oakland's Barry Zito as the most coveted pitcher on the market — with both players represented by uber-agent Scott Boras. Just 25, Matsuzaka has long been considered the best pitcher in Japan, and is in the midst of another strong season. 如果今年冬天松土反可以加入MLB，那他和Barry Zito將成為自由市場上兩大炙手可熱的投手(他們兩皆由經紀人Scott Boras所引薦)。松土反現年只有25歲，但他在日本卻早已被視為最棒的投手，而今年球季到目前為止，他的表現依舊亮眼。 Those who believe that Matsuzaka will be posted point to the ongoing financial problems of the Seibu group, whose owner, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, was convicted in 2005 of insider trading and received a suspended prison sentence. 那些相信松土反會被西武拿來招標的人把理由指向西武一直以來的財務問題。Yoshiaki Tsutsumi是西武獅的大老闆，但他在2005年違反了內部交易法，並且收到拘票。 The reasoning goes that Seibu can't afford to miss out on the huge posting fee they would receive. If they force Matsuzaka to wait for free agency, he would leave without any compensation for the Japanese club, as happened a few years ago with Kazuo Matsui. 他們認為西武承擔不起失去如此龐大的招標金，如果西武強迫松土反等到2008年才可以去 MLB打球，屆時西武根本拿不到半毛錢，就像幾年前松井稼頭央的那個情形一樣。 "Seibu, it is clear, wants to post Matsuzaka," Robert Whiting, author of the seminal book on Japanese baseball, "You Gotta Have Wa," said via e-mail. 日本棒球發展一書的作者Robert Whiting用email來信道:"很明顯西武無法承擔此風險，他們會把松土反招標出去。" "One indication of that is all the complete games they are letting him pitch. They want to get as much use out of him as possible now — and then get money for him by posting." 他說:"由西武讓松土反不斷的完投的跡象顯示，西武目前想要儘可能的把松土反榨乾，然後再標個好價錢。" Those who believe that Matsuzaka won't be posted note that he is the Lions' most visible and popular asset, and attendance would plummet without him. 而那些認為松土反今年還不會被招標的人則認為，松土反是西武陣中最重要的資產，若球隊少了他很可能就因此與冠軍無緣。 "I doubt he will be posted," said one person with close ties to the Japanese league. "Seibu has regrouped and consolidated its hold on the team, and Matsuzaka is their only drawing card. He is worth more to them than almost any posting offer." 一名日職的相關人員說:"我覺得他不會被招標出去""西武已經重新編制過，目前隊上凝聚力十足，而松土反又是他們陣中唯一的看板球星，他所能帶來的效益比那些招標所得的金額多上太多了。" Many believe it might come down to whether Seibu wins the Pacific League title and makes it to the World Series, as it did two years ago. It is currently running neck and neck in the standings with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. 許多人相信西武獅今年會像兩年前一樣贏得太平洋聯盟的冠軍頭銜，並直指日本一，而目前西武居於太平洋聯盟的首位，領先緊咬不放的軟銀1.5場勝差。 Last year, Seibu cited the absence of a pennant as the reason it didn't post Matsuzaka, saying also that his record (14-13 with a 2.30 earned-run average) wasn't good enough to justify it. A pennant this season could allow him to leave with both sides saving face. 去年，西武以未奪得冠軍為由，並未將松土反招標，並說他的成績(14勝13負，2.30的防禦率)還不夠好。但如果今年西武奪得冠軍，也許就能夠讓松土反上MLB，並保住雙方的面子。 What we do know is that Matsuzaka badly wants to come to the United States, a desire he has stated publicly many times. 我們所知道的是松土反已不只一次公開的表達到大聯盟打球的強烈意願。 He is better than ever in 2006, compiling an 11-4 record with a 2.01 ERA. He has 10 complete games (in 17 starts) and has struck out 133 in 125-1/3 innings. 他今年的成績比過往都還要好，他目前11勝4負，防禦率為2.01。而他在17場先發中有過10 次的完投，125又1/3局的投球局數出現了133次的三振。 In 2004, Matsuzaka became the first Japanese pitcher to hit 100 mph on the speed gun (at the Olympics), and this spring he was named the Most Valuable Player in the World Baseball Classic after leading Japan to the championship at 3-0, 0.85. 在2004年，松土反投出日本第一位達到100mph的速球(在奧運時)，而今年他更一舉奪得WBC 的MVP，他在WBC的總成績是3勝0負，防禦率0.85。 "Matsuzaka might be the best Japanese pitcher to come along in the past 25 years," Whiting said. "Most sportswriters in Japan rate him as better than [Hideo] Nomo in his prime." Robert Whiting說:"松版也許是近25年來日本最優秀的投手。""許多日本的體育作者都認為他比年輕時候的野茂還要來的強。" Once a player is posted by his Japanese team, Major League Baseball teams must submit a sealed bid just for the right to negotiate with the player, with the high bidder getting the honors. 一旦有球員被日本球隊進行招標，這時大聯盟球隊必須呈交一份密封的喊價書，以便進行協商，誰的價碼最高誰就獲得此一招標。 In the case of Matsuzaka, the posting winner would then get the privilege of negotiating a contract with Boras, who reportedly has signed on to represent him. 就松土反的情形來看，得標的球隊將和傳聞中已成為松土反經紀人Boras進行合約的討論。 In December of 2000, the Mariners were mandated by owner Hiroshi Yamauchi to land Ichiro, and blew every team out of the water with their $13 million posting bid. 2000年12月，水手委託Hiroshi Yanauchi來招攬鈴木一朗，並以1千3百萬的價錢順利得標。　 But the stakes have raised considerably in the ensuing six years. If Matsuzaka is posted, the speculation is that the bidding might reach $30 million or even higher — with contract negotiations still to come after that. 但當年那樁標案，現在來看早已不只那個價錢。如果松土反被招標，招標金額預估會達到3 千萬美金，甚至更高。 At such a high posting price, the Mariners — and most other teams not owned by George Steinbrenner — might well prefer to wait for Matsuzaka to become a free agent after the 2008 season, when he will still be just 28. 就這麼高的招標金來說，水手和洋基或許會比較想要等到松土反成為自由球員以後再說，更何況那時他才28歲。 And still a legend. 而且，他到那個時後仍會是個傳奇人物。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.217.210.60

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