Former Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka is poised to join the Chunichi Dragons after passing a closed-door tryout held Tuesday at the team's practice facility in Nagoya.

The 37-year-old parted ways with the SoftBank Hawks last year after having pitched in just one game in his return from right shoulder surgery he underwent in August 2015.

"It's a relief," said Matsuzaka, who threw 22 pitches before Dragons manager Shigekazu Mori decided he had seen enough.

"I didn't want to give up. I came here with the feeling that I only wanted to call it quits after I had pitched with all my heart and soul."

Mori, a Seibu Lions pitching coach when Matsuzaka turned pro with that club, said he had few fixed expectations for the former superstar.

"I'm not saying win 10 games or 20," Mori said. "He has established a body of work, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with our team."

"One wants to go out in style. If possible, I would like to provide that opportunity. If you work on that premise, you never know what might happen," he added.

A first-round draft pick in 1998 -- when he finished his phenomenal high school career, Matsuzaka led the Pacific League in wins for three straight seasons starting with his 1999 rookie season, and won the prestigious Sawamura Award in 2001.

The MVP of the first two World Baseball Classics, he moved to the majors after the 2006 season and signed with the Red Sox. He helped them win the World Series in 2007, his first of eight seasons in the majors. After his second WBC, his career went into sharp decline and he had Tommy John surgery in 2011.

After the conclusion of his six-year Red Sox deal, Matsuzaka pitched in Triple-A for the Cleveland Indians in 2012 before landing a relief role with the New York Mets for two seasons.

The Nagoya-based Dragons will be Matsuzaka's first Central League club. He will join his new teammates for spring training which starts Feb. 1 in Okinawa.

Matsuzaka is currently 108-60 in 205 games in Nippon Professional Baseball with a 2.96 ERA. In the majors, he went 56-43 with a 4.45 ERA in 158 games.

Last summer, he was on the verge of joining the Hawks' injury-hit starting rotation but was never fit enough for a call-up.

"Because I've not been able to pitch these past years, I want to really demonstrate that I can pitch and am fit," Matsuzaka said. "People at the ballpark cheered me on in my time with the Hawks, and I want to repay them by returning to action. For their sake, I want to get back on the mound with the first team."