Matsuzaka Looks Sharp in First Outing Versus Big League Hitters
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JUPITER, Fla. — Daisuke Matsuzaka reached to snare a line drive, then grinned and bowed to his shortstop.
It turns out the rookie from Japan is a pretty good fielder.
He can pitch, too: Matsuzaka threw three scoreless innings for the Boston Red Sox when he faced major league hitters for the first time yesterday.
Dice-K allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three to help Boston beat the Florida Marlins 14–6 in 10 innings. The right-hander threw 47 pitches, 31 for strikes, including a first-pitch strike to 10 of 12 batters. He escaped a one-out jam in the second after giving up a walk and a double.
“My readiness for the season is difficult to judge from the outside,” Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. “I’m probably 40 to 50 percent there.”
His fastball topped out at a brisk 151 — that’s kilometers per hour, as measured by Japanese TV. It translates to 94 mph.
Matsuzaka made the trip from the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers on Monday. That proved wise because the team bus got lost Tuesday and arrived more than an hour late for batting practice.
Matsuzaka, meanwhile, remained right on schedule in his transition from Japan’s Pacific League to the American League. He signed a $52 million, six-year contract after Boston agreed to pay the Seibu Lions $51 million for his rights.
His Grapefruit League debut drew a sellout crowd of 8,044, including some who began lining up for tickets at 5 a.m. yesterday, and 150 members of the press, the majority Japanese. Because of the small press box at Roger Dean Stadium, some reporters watched from folding chairs set up three deep down the right-field line. The 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.
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At Kissimmee, Fla., the Mets’ Tom Glavine extended his spring training scoreless streak to five innings in the team’s 7–2 win over the Astros. Glavine, who returned to Mets camp this week after missing a few days due to a personal matter, allowed four hits in three innings. He worked out of firstand-third jams twice.
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At Winter Haven, Fla., Chien-Ming Wang gave up two runs and five hits in three innings, and Kevin Reese and Josh Phelps each hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, which lost its first game following a 5–0 start. Grady Sizemore hit a leadoff homer for Cleveland in the Indians’ 6–5 victory.
