Matsuzaka throws Red Sox Shutout
Daisuke's Three Shutout Innings Against Florida Marlins
Mar 6, 2007
This winter, Japanese pitching sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka signed a $52 million, six-year contract to play with the Boston Red Sox. This was after the Sox had already paid $51 million to the pitcher’s Japanese team just to negotiate for his rights. That means the Sox have poured $103 million into Matsuzaka so far. That is the fifth most money that a team has ever spent to acquire a pitcher. Not surprisingly, the man who has come to be known as “Dice-K” has attracted a lot of attention this Spring Training.
On Tuesday, March 6th, 2007, Matsuzaka faced major league hitters for the first time this spring. He threw three scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three against the Florida Marlins.
The Japanese star threw mostly strikes over the three innings, including first-pitch strikes to 10 of the 12 batters he faced. His fastball topped out at 94 miles per our. His breaking ball moved very well, and he baffled hitters with his expert mix of heaters and breaking pitches.
Matsuzaka’s performance must have helped Boston's management breath a little bit easier. They are quite aware that they shelled out a fortune for an unproven pitcher, and therefore need him to justify their lavish spending. But more importantly, the Red Sox desperately need Dice-K to succeed because, quite frankly, the rest of their starters are a bit suspect this season.
Curt Schilling recently turned forty, and he has suffered major injuries to his achilles tendon, his right shoulder and his pitching elbow over the course of his career. The man has the talent to win 17 games, but he also might break down again and finish with just 8 wins and a 5.69 ERA as he did in 2005. He’s a legend, but his age and health make him a question.
Furthermore, no one knows how Jonathan Papelbon will adjust to his new role as a starter, or how well his arm will hold up if he throws 220 innings this season. Finally, there is the enigmatic Josh Beckett. Is he the pitcher who posted a 5.01 ERA last year or is he the young gunslinger who dominated the Yankees in the 2003 World Series? This season he will need to decide.
All of these question put even more pressure on Dice-K. However, the Man from Japan seems pretty cool and confident about all of it. Through an interpreter, the pitcher said: "My readiness for the season is difficult to judge from the outside. I'm probably 40 to 50 percent there." If he was able to dominate the Marlins with only fifty percent of his best, it's scary to think how good he will be in June. Boston fans should be rejoicing. He looks like he could be a great one.
He is certainly a popular one. Japanese and American reporters watched him from folding chairs set up three deep down the right-field line. The pre-season game was televised live in Japan, where the first pitch was at 3 a.m.
"We heard there was going to be a ton of media, which there is," Florida's Dan Uggla said. "As Marlins players we're not used to this stuff. It's exciting to us. We had fun with it."
The Major Leagues should have a lot of fun with Dice-K this year, and it looks like he will have a lot of fun with them, too.
