FORT MYERS, Fla. — Junichi Tazawa is the fourth in a line of Japanese pitchers who have joined the Boston Red Sox over the last three years.

Yet he's unique.

The 22-year-old right-hander is the only pitcher in the group who never played pro ball in Japan, and one of them who did thinks he could be a trendsetter.

"When I was a rookie, I certainly wasn't that calm and collected," said 39-year-old reliever Takashi Saito, who signed a free-agent deal in the offseason after three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I think that he's going to become the type of person that's going to change what it means to be a Japanese baseball player.

"In a few years, maybe he won't need an interpreter, maybe he won't need all the Japanese staff that surround him today, and I think that he's going to change that label of being Japanese."

Saito spoke through translator Masa Hoshino after Tazawa needed just four pitches to retire the side in a 7-1 win over Boston College on Wednesday.

He returned to the mound Saturday in a 14-0, 6½-inning win over Northeastern. He struck out four and walked one in two hitless innings for a Boston split-squad.

"I don't think of myself as a pioneer," Tazawa said through Hoshino, "but I just wanted to play baseball in the U.S. and that's why I'm here. But if I can perform well, that might give other Japanese players the opportunity to play over here."

He arrived with far less fanfare that Daisuke Matsuzaka, who joined the Red Sox rotation in 2007 after eight seasons with the Seibu Lions. Hideki Okajima, now 33, arrived the same year after 12 seasons in Japan. And Saito pitched 14 seasons for Yokohama before joining the Dodgers in 2006.

Tazawa played the past four years in the Japan Industrial League where he was 14-3 with 11 saves and a 1.99 ERA in 53 games.

"I guess I didn't quite expect him to be this polished," manager Terry Francona said. At "first blush there's a lot to like."

Having Okajima and Saito in camp has made Tazawa more comfortable. Matsuzaka is in Japan preparing for the World Baseball Classic.

Francona is curious to see how Tazawa does against major league hitters "when you make a mistake and see what they do with it, (but) it's going to be fun to watch his progression because there's a lot there."

Tazawa's next outing probably will be against a big league club, and he figures to start the season at Double-A Portland.

"I certainly want to see how I stack up against major league hitters," he said, "but, at the same time, a little bit nervous to face them."

By the time Tazawa entered in the fourth, the Red Sox led 12-0 behind two homers by non-roster infielder Angel Chavez — a grand slam in the first inning and a two-run shot in a seven-run third. The other runs in the third scored on a three-run triple by Jed Lowrie, and RBI singles by Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.