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April 5, 2007
KANSAS CITY -- If today was any indication, the $103 million the Red Sox spent on Daisuke Matsuzaka was money well spent.
The Japanese right-hander became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 batters in his major-league debut, fanning 10 over seven innings while scattering six hits and allowing only one run as he led Boston to a 4-1 victory over the Royals.
''He made good pitches,'' catcher Jason Varitek told NESN's Tina Cervasio after the game. ''He's got a lot of different weapons he can attack you with.''
Getting the no-hitter-in-his-first-major-league-start angle out of the way, Matsuzaka allowed a single on a 1-and-1 slider to David DeJesus before Esteban German forced DeJesus at second on a slow roller to Dustin Pedroia. Matsuzaka then walked Mark Teahen before inducing a comebacker from Emil Brown which he turned into a 1-6-3 double play.
He was sitting on a 1-0 lead at the time, thanks to a Manny Ramirez RBI double. Kevin Youkilis, who had walked, scored all the way from first base.
From the second through the fourth, Matsuzaka retired 10 in a row. He allowed a soft single to Alex Gordon -- the first hit of the Royals' rookie third baseman's career -- that just reached the outfield grass leading off the fifth. Ryan Shealy struck out and Ross Gload flyed out before a line single to center by Joe Buck sent Gordon to third. But Matsuzaka, in a seven-pitch at-bat with Tony Pena Jr. got out of the jam when Pena hit a squibber that Matsuzaka fielded cleanly and fired to first for the final out.
By then, the lead was 2-0. Julio Lugo doubled to right to leadoff the fifth, then, with Youkilis at the plate, took off for third. John Buck's throw to third sailed over Gordon into left field and Lugo trotted home. It was Lugo's first steal of the year.
But in the sixth the Royals cut the advantage in half when DeJesus homered. Esteban German followed with a bloop single, but Matsuzaka got Mark Teahen on a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play with German caught stealing. Emil Brown lined a double to the wall in left, but Matsuzaka overmatched Alex Gordon, catching him looking at an unhittable 95 mph fastball on the black.
With J.C. Romero warming up and his pitch count at 96, it appeared that DiceK's debut is done. But he came back for the seventh and struck out both Shealy and Gload before getting Buck on a fly to right.
The Sox added a pair of runs in the eighth as David Ortiz (leadoff double) scored on a wild pitch, and Coco Crisp's two-out single drove in J.D. Drew.
Romero pitched the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon had a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Posted by Art Martone 
at 5:06 PM | Permalink
