Daisuke Matsuzaka battled 'butterflies' in return to Japanese Pacific League

Daisuke Matsuzaka battled some nerves as he took the mound Wednesday at Koshien Stadium for his first professional outing in his native Japan since 2006.

"I had a few butterflies at first," Matsuzaka told the Associated Press. "But I was able to settle down and get some powerful pitches across the plate, so I'm pleased about that."

He returned to Japan this winter after eight seasons in the majors, agreeing in December to a deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, whose 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball championship was their second in the last four years.

Matsuzaka, who hurled 57 pitches Wednesday against the Hanshin Tigers, made his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2007 after agreeing to a six-year, $52-million contract with the club. The 34-year-old fashioned a 4.45 ERA (99 ERA+) with a 1.40 WHIP throughout his tenure in the major leagues, which concluded with a two-year stint with the New York Mets.