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April 5, 2007
MATSUZAKA: “For me it didn’t quite feel like the very first time. I was able to approach the game as usual.” --AP
RICK BOUDREAU (Red Sox fan): “It’s amazing. To see all the Japanese media, I think it’s great for baseball. I can see him being the staff ace this year.” --AP
TERRY FRANCONA (on Matsuzaka): “I thought from the get-go he was sharp with all his pitches, and he had to be. On a day when it was hard to score, the way the conditions were, we got one early and we added on and he made it stand up. He was terrific.” --AP
RYAN SHEALY (Royals first baseman on Matsuzaka): “A lot of guys have a good fastball or have good offspeed stuff, but he seems to have both. He’s a tough guy. There’s a lot of tough guys in the big leagues. But he’s good.” --AP
MATSUZAKA: “Up to now, given all the expectations that have surrounded me, I’ve felt happy about those expectation. At the same time, feeling like perhaps they were a little bit extreme. Speaking for myself and all the fans that have supported me here, it’s great that I was able to come out here and record a victory in my first start.” --AP
SATOSHI KAMISHIGE (pitched against Matsuzaka in high school): “It was a great start for him. He got to show the world what he can do, he got to see the power of major league hitters and most importantly, he got the win. He’s awesome. The thing that impresses me most is his stamina. I know he probably wanted to go all the way in his first game over there, but he knows that’s not how things are done in the majors.” --AP
SHEALY (on Matsuzaka): "I didn't know he threw that hard." --AP
MATSUZAKA: “I can’t say that my overall condition was that great today, but I think the role of a starting pitcher is to set up the game and give my teammates the opportunity to win. I feel like I was able to do that today, so I was satisfied.” --AP
BUDDY BELL (Royals manager on Matsuzaka's performance): “I will tell you this — I was pretty impressed. He just really had a feel for what he was doing. Everything he did was absolutely solid. Everything that he tried to do.” --AP
FRANCONA (on Matsuzaka): “Major league hitters, after you go through the order once or twice, get a bead on you, and he didn’t let them. He started throwing different pitches on different counts. He came back in the sixth and seventh and was good as he was early.” --AP
DAVID DeJESUS (who homered off Matsuzaka): “I think it was the gyroball,” he laughed when asked what he hit for the home run. “No, it was a fastball. I didn’t think it was going to go, but the ball kept carrying.” --AP
DeJESUS (on Matsuzaka): “He threw everything today. I saw lot of different stuff when I was up there. I don’t know what to call them.” --NEW YORK TIMES
DAVID ORTIZ (on Matsuzaka): ``Unbelievable. He’s so under control that he reminds me of Pedro (Martinez) when he’s out there doing his thing. It doesn’t matter what the situation is -- he always looks like he’s in control.’’ --SEAN McADAM
FRANCONA (on Matsuzaka): ``The expectations, from what I’ve heard so far, are unreachable. But he’s got this thing figured out better than anybody else. He loves to pitch, he enjoys the heck out of the game and he’s pretty damn good. That’s good enough for me.’’ --SEAN McADAM
JONATHAN PAPELBON (on his return and the Red Sox bullpen): ``It felt good, like riding a bike. I finally got a chance to get back in there.
``I think we have a lot of bullets in the bullpen and we did our job today and did our job (Wednesday night). If we can be consistent as a bullpen, we’ll be fine. We really will be. We’ve got a good mix of veterans, young guys and we’ve got great chemistry.’’ --SEAN McADAM
BELL (on two unearned runs in the eighth inning that turned a one-run game into a three-run deficit): “When you’re hanging on like that, and not doing anything offensively, you have no margin for error. When you face Schilling and Beckett and this kid in the same series ... man!” -- KANSAS CITY STAR
MIKE LOWELL (on Boston signing Matsuzaka): “I don’t think this organization bid money on a hope." -- NEW YORK TIMES
JOHN BUCK (Royals catcher on Matsuzaka's pitches): "There is quite a few. Every pitch I saw was an offspeed pitch first pitch. There was no set pattern. He threw seemingly anything and everything on the first pitch. I am sure he threw every pitch first pitch at one point or another." --MLB.com
MARK TEAHEN (Royals right fielder): "To me, he (Matsuzaka) didn't throw too many fastballs, he threw more offspeed. He maybe showed a fastball late. He seemed like he was trying to mix it up though. Early in the game, he seemed like he was trying to finish guys off with a fastball and then later in the game, he went to it more often." --MLB.com.
TONY PENA JR. (on Matsuzaka's windup): "After [Curt] Schilling and [Josh] Beckett, they have a regular motion, so you start to pick it up and ... you start seeing the ball better. He was mixing his pitches pretty good and for me, it was a little bit of timing, so he had his pitches going and we just had to be ready for next time." --MLB.com.
Posted by Corey Bourassa 
at 7:31 PM | Permalink
