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April 10, 2007
When his name was announced during the Opening Day festivities, Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox' prized (and $103-million) pitching export, was given a rousing ovation from Boston's fans at Fenway Park.
He'll be hoping to generate more cheers on Wednesday night when he makes his home debut.
And while that would be enough to generate a major media blitz, Dice-K's first game at Fenway will have even a more heightened sense of interest because the very first batter he will face will be none other than Japanese countryman Ichiro Suzuki.
Matsuzaka, who fanned 10 and gave up only one run in seven innings in Kansas City last week in his first big-league game, is a star in the making in the majors. Ichiro already is a superstar.
Boston manager Terry Francona was asked what he expects of their matchup.
"I hope (Dice-K) gets him out," said Francona. "I'm sure there will be some flash bulbs going off. From our standpoiint it doesn't go much past that."
Coco Crisp, for one, said he'll be interested to see how those one-on-one confrontations go.
"Those are two guys from the other side of the world," said Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp. "It's going to be fun to watch Dice-K pitch to Ichiro. Dice-K is an unbelievable pitcher and Ichiro has such great bat control."
The Sox, meanwhile, are trying not to over-hype Matsuzaka and what he might mean to the team's playoff hopes.
"We still have a learning curve to go through and adjust to the hitters when he sees a team for the first time," said catcher Jason Varitek. "He's only pitched one game. I don't think a guy can accomplish too much in one game."
But he still has been impressive, especially given the attention he has drawn from the Japanese media and the media in this country, said Francona.
"He's really in command of what he's doing," said Francona. "Things on the periphery don't seem to affect him so it affects us less."
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 6:29 PM | Permalink
