Today marks the beginning of the Daisuke Matsuzaka Era in Boston. From here on out, we shall refer to all dates as "BDM" or "ADM". Forget Jesus, we’ve got Dice-K.
Use this as your game thread for today’s long-awaited debut of our new Japanese sensation.
If he doesn’t turn blood into wine, I’ll be disappointed.
Okay, so honestly, I’m jealous. I’m jealous that SFs get to root every fifth day for this guy. Watching him in ST, I just think he’s going to be dominant and exciting.
Oh well.
Just traded JD Drew and Torii Hunter for him in a fantasy league. We’ll see how that goes! =)
Lar, that seems like a one-sided deal in your favor.
I’m so excited, it moved.
Yeah, Drew sucks so far.
Isn’t Paul there today?
fantasy-wise, Brad, I just don’t see those two adding up to Dice-K. I guess it depends on the categories. Man, you’re defensive about Drew, and I’m a YF who thinks the signing was a good one for Boston.
Unless, you made the deal. Aha!
hahah. No way I would have approved that…it could be onesided, but it could be that Drew hits .320 with 130rbi’s and 25HR
http://www.boston.com/partners/worldnow/nesn.html?catID=80767&clipid=1343924&autoStart=true&mute=false&continuous=true
DICEMANS NIKE COMMERCIAL! FABULOUS!
Hey, what use are newbies if you can’t fleece them? =)
I think Drew will be a reasonably good fantasy players – HR might not be there, but you don’t need many HR’s to get RBI’s with the people in front of him (unless Papi and Manny consistently clears the base in front of him..)
Torii Hunter actually hit 30 HR’s last year. Now only he can go back to getting some SB’s, he can be a solid player..
And, as much hype as there is (probably most of it is warranted), there is still quite a bit of risk for DMat.
Oddly enough, I have Manny, Ortiz, and formerly Drew on my fantasy team. Now I got Manny, Ortiz and DMat.. as a YF, it’s going to be a long fantasy season half rooting for these players!
Excuse the bad grammar, I jumped between what I meant to say and what I actually did say! =)
Lar, I love that you’re pulling for the boys…welcome!
Lar, that’s exactly the reason I don’t do fantasy baseball, I couldn’t handle it if there was money on the line and I needed Jeter to get a big hit for points and it was agains the Red Sox, I would implode.
Also, I don’t have the time, all of my time is spent digging the trenches for Red Sox info, news, analysis, etc.
Former Yankee Ted Lilly beat former BoSox Bronson Arroyo last night, 4 – 1.
3 hits, 7 innings, 9 k for Lilly
1 rbi by Lilly
This day makes me me think that the yanks should have paid $100 million in posting fee alone.
Ehh, let some of the ‘little guys’ have the spotlight for a while :P
Seth – Ya, I’m kind of pissed that I can’t watch DMat pitch without paying insane amount of money for a ticket. Maybe I’ll go to a remote city like Paul did!
The conflict of interest is horrible, but it does create scenarios like, “it would be great if Posada gets an out here, but Cano hits a HR to win it!”
I remember last year, though it was a meaningless game by then, I was at a Yanks vs BoSox game late in the season, and the Yanks were a run down, and this was playoff time (in fantasy) and I was up by very few points in OPS, with my opponent having ARod and Posada. Well, it was probably the only time I rooting against ARod the entire season! Also, Posada hit a shot that Coco Crisp (I think) robbed of a HR – I felt relieved, even though the Yanks would’ve won! It was a Sunday night game, and I ended up winning that week by one category.. lucky it was a meaningless game!
5 guys on Kansas City are hitting .000. Lets keep that in mind when Dice-K pitches.
“Lar, that’s exactly the reason I don’t do fantasy baseball…”
I have a pretty strict no Yankee policy for fantasy baseball, just to avoid those conflicts of interest. Though I did do one “automated draft” and ended up with Cano as my second baseman. So now I’m hoping that his regression to the mean begins in 2008… doh.
5 guys on Kansas City are hitting .000. Lets keep that in mind when Dice-K pitches.
yeah I agree. Being major leaguers and all just isn’t enough to gain my respect as hitters either. I feel the same way about the follwing set of guys who are hovering right around .000 themselves – some of them are even hitting .100 –
Albert Pujols
Andruw Jones
Adam LaRoche
Mark Teixeira
Hideki Matsui
Let’s get it on already~!
oh the delima. the game is tivo-ed, but that means dodging scores all day and not visiting here. uhg.
The media have their scripts ready, and are raring to pounce:
SCENARIO #1: Dice-K throws complete game one-hitter, media reanoint Theo/Henry as geniuses;
SCENARIO #2: Dice-K gets shelled by K.C. lineup, Sox determined conclusively to have overpaid;
SCENARIO #3: Anything in between, the media merely re-poses the question: Did the Sox overpay? The jury is still out! (zzzzz)
I’m just looking forward to the game, the media circus is already beyond absurd.
Also, regardless of the outcome, you can be sure there will be a zillion “was that a gyroball or not?” stories. Arrgh.
Can’t believe MLB.TV has the KC announcers for this game. I need to hear Remdawg and Orsillo talk Zaka-san… Disappointing, but so is MLB.TV too.
Lugo flies to left, a bit shy of the track.
They do tend to go with the home annoucers…I know, it stinks. We won’t officially be in the 21st century until we can pick which broadcast we want (you can on Gameday Audio, for instance).
Youkilis walks on a ball low over the plate.
Those were three crazy-good pitches, all just grabbing the corner to get Papi.
Manny doubles to deep right over the fielder’s head. Youkilis comes in. 1-0 Sox.
Greinke should basically just be aiming for the outside corner to lefties…he has it going on in that location thus far.
The much-abused Manny Ramirez promptly knocks in the 1st run with a double.
Manny really reached for that…nice shot.
Free bases to guys in front of Papi and Manny: not a winning strategy. Manny stakes Dice to a lead. Here we go!
He proved that with the AB against Drew and Papi. Most of them were good pitches…strike three to Drew, I would have said a bit outside.
And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…
Dice-Ks first pitch is fouled off for a strike! It’s settled, he was worth it!
Single to left-center.
Wait, DeJesus gets a lead-off single, this was a terrible mistake paying $50 million!
MLB vs Dice: 1.000.
DeJesus a solid player.
Please keep a gyroball counter going for us stuck without tv
Not well-hit ground ball gets the force out at 2nd.
Okay, he got an out, this is a good deal again!!!
/snark
By the way, I’m finally playing around with the new MLB Gameday thing. Totally unnecessary..
DMat sucks. Take DeJesus for example, 0.000 against the rest of the league, 1.000 against DMat. That’s proof right there.
Walk on the full count.
Walk, 1st and 2nd, one out…
DP! Inning ends.
In his Gamecast photo, Dice looks like an accountant. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Double play puts the universe right again. Inning ovah.
Tsunami winds rush down Comm Ave as Boston breathes collective sigh of relief.
10,000 ink-stained wretches are already drafting their stories about Dice-K’s “rocky start” after which he “settled down.”
damn, I was expecting every pitch to cause KC batters to swing so wildly that they fall down and curl up in shame.
Really sad bunt attempt by Varitek after the Lowell single.
hahah..
I feel for these guys today. It’s cold, and it’s never ever fun to hit a baseball when it’s cold, and the fingers begin to lose feeling on the ball for the pitcher. It’s never great to be either.
Really sad pop to left soon thereafter.
Greinke is using the ump’s generous strike zone low and away to lefties very well. Gets Crisp looking on a ball low over the plate (debateable).
Coco looks just lost at the plate so far.
Slow bouncer to 2nd for Pedroia and the half-inning is over.
i don’t see how kc can hope to compete agains with this lineup unless greince throws a gem. german, teahen, brown, gordon vs youk, papi, manny, drew? it’s basically a joke.
If this kid’s mind is correct, he’s a good pitcher. Under normal circumstances, I’m hoping he get’s hammered, but I feel for him and the situation he’s in so I hope he throws a good game. But loses.
YF – I say the same thing about any team that Boston or NY ever plays, but somehow, they manage to lose them sometimes!
Uh YF, didn’t the Royals take 6 0r 7 straight from the Sox in KC?
not many swings and misses to this point.
I think YF is just setting up his “it’s only KC” post for later. hehe.
there are plenty of dangerous lineups out there brad. granted, the sox and yanks outgun most everyone. (and forget the economics, i’m just talking pure baseball here.) but this is just a bit absurd, though admittedly not as bad as last year. still. emil brown is their cleanup guy, and alex gordon, great as he may be, is green. their 3 hitter has had–what–a 3 good months in the majors? there’s just not a great deal to be afraid of.
The K for the final out. Swing and a miss!
“there’s just not a great deal to be afraid of”
Tell that to Curt Schilling.
not dice’s fault kc is undermanned. a win’s a win; if he gets it, no complaints here.
I agree, YF. But stranger things do indeed happen.
where’s sweeney today?
Or tell it to RJ when it comes to Tampa..
Greinke has Ortiz defensive, swinging at 2 pitches not in the zone.
Yeah, low and away to lefties…they’re getting called.
Ortiz doesn’t look comfortable against this kid.
Ortiz close to watching this game on TV…
Come on, Drew…
Alex Gordon, the #1 prospect in all of baseball, is not looking like it, either in the field or at the plate.
Here we go JD, here we go.
Noooope…tapper rolls barely down the 1st base line. Catcher’s got it, throws to 1st. Half-inning closed.
I agree WE, but you have to look at the situation he’s being thrown into… I can think of three easier pitchers to face in your first three games.
Beautiful there from, Matsuzaka…grabbing the outside corner with his fastball (to a righty, no less). 2 K’s for ‘zaka.
So I finally get back to the office and MLBtv won’t fire up. Time to cancel and go with Extra Innings.
Are you using Firefox, SF? I find Internet Explorer works infinitely better.
Nope, IE. It’s just choppy now, I basically get like 1 new frame every 25 seconds. Totally sucks.
Matsuzaka sets ’em down in order for the second straight inning.
sf, if you want the audio, I’ll share.
Awful, SF. Cancel…cancel SO HARD.
Michaels is having a day today in the Cleveland game.
Lowell’s been hitting the ball hard so far this year.
Lowell keeps his double habbit going…
Lowell juuuuuust misses a homer…he doubles instead.
what’s this i hear about sharing brad?
My MLB.TV performance has been decent today… Still choppy at times, but seem par for the course over the last few years. I’m guessing there’s quite a few people hitting their servers for this game today.
Oy, Varitek. Oy.
So why not bunt Lowell to third, try to get another run, particularly with someone like Coco coming up?
I don’t consider Lowell the same way as I did when he came from Florida. He’s clearly not done yet, and can still swing the bat with a purpose.
Coco’s bat is so f-ing slow right now. Last night he appeared to be totally tentative, and late when he did swing. Same today.
Varitek tried that his last AB…it looks like he needs to practice bunting (admittedly it was only one attempt).
it’s a pleasure to meet you mr. crisp, my names jacoby.
A rare not-strike on the outside part of the plate…the crowd wanted it, and I thought Coco was crisped.
Did you see that offer for Sunday games in KC? 4 tickets, 4 hotdogs, 4 sodas for $40? For a Boston fan that’s like looking back into the 1970’s…
damnit, i’m not bud selig anymore.
Has anyone seen Grady Siezmore’s day yet? HOLY COW!
Man, Crisp and Pedroia each had pitches they should have crushed. Lowell’s double is wasted.
6 baserunners in four innings, 1 run, 5 LOB. #7/#8 in the lineup mightily struggling.
Wow, WTF was wrong with that 0-0 pitch?!
Nothing. But the strikeout pitch looked a bit low, so the ump made up for it.
nevermind on Grady…screwy ass stats…
Back to back K’s to start this one. I think that’s nine in a row.
beautiful…
that pitch was gross…
DMat settling in and looking tough. K’s the side.
this is getting fun! high heat, baby!
he’s starting to settle into a groove.
k’s the side…beautiful
Strikes out the side! This s*%$ is fun.
I’d like to not rely on the guy being perfect, though. Come on, 3-spot!
Greinke better keep it at 1-zip if the Royals are going to have a shot at this one.
Brad – did you read the scoring list on yahoo? Lots of players grounding out to SS, then homering
Yeah for some reason the running stats on ESPN are…a little off…for example, the boxscore for the Indians game says that Buehrle threw 104 pitches in 1.1 innings (got hit by a liner, apparently).
Anyway, I got back at the right time, huh? I have this mental image of a bar full of Japanese businessmen screaming in a bar after every K. Though maybe 4:25 in the morning is a little late/early for booze on a Wednesday night…
All right, can we score the guy who leads off with a hit (esp. a double) unlike, oh, the LAST THREE TIMES?
let’s not waste this lead off double.
Crap on Lugo all you want…he’s batting .400 thus far and as much as I realize that SB’s are overrated…stuff like that is fun to watch.
Yay! Muffed throw by the catcher on Lugo’s steal attempt…Gordon had to leap out to attempt the grab, no go. Ball into outfield, Lugo scores.
Youkilis grounds out.
Ortiz with the hat trick.
Ortiz K’s for the 3rd time.
Manny retired for the first time on a fly ball to right-center. That’s that for the Sox right now.
this royals team could easily win 72 games. in the national league.
Ortiz is lost with this kid…
Hideo Matsui , Daisuke Matsui…the play-by-play guy ain’t really on top of his mental game.
Gordon singles to left.
Alex Gordon’s first major league hit. An opposite field single over Lugo’s head.
Gordon is very strong. That was right off his knuckles.
Does that hit decide the ROY?
Shealy gets frozen by the yakker.
Lar racking up those K points….
Greinke’s getting the call on balls away to lefties, Matsuzaka I’ve noticed getting it on balls away to righties.
first pitch breaking balls for strikes always equals successs for a pitcher.
Delmon Young is gonna be ROY
Runners on the corners with 2 out as the Royals get their third hit (and second of the inning).
that was a lost swing if ever I’ve seen one.
Pena not making it easy for ‘zaka.
He got him. Through 5.
Drew continuing to be on the DL
drew is a hit machine. such a sweet stroke.
3 leadoff doubles in a row for the Sox. 5 straight leadoff runners. One (so far) has scored.
Gar, Tek. Gar.
Come on, Crisp. Please?
So frustrating…should be at least 4-0 right now.
i wonder what ellsbury is doing right now?
Rod, Drew hits the ball further and harder than anyone on the team. He was a showcase during BP this past weekend in Philly, putting several balls way up into the upper deck.
DeJesus with the jack. 2-1.
Homer DeJesus to right.
Sweet.
Ugh, bloop single.
maybe with consistancy, but i’m gonna guess WMP holds the long and hard title.
WMP says he can bunt the ball further than drews power swing
Economical thus far too – this will probably be his last inning, but the 2/3 strikes on ~100 pitches is definitely a good sign.
Hee hee…rod said “long and hard”.
^ That was me about the economical. Greinke is pitching a great game too, actually.
6 LOB for hitters 6-9 is rough. But the 3-4-5 is great.
Strike ’em out, throw ’em out.
Ah, strike out, throw out DP. I guess at least they’re trying to make something happen.. still a close game (despite the power gap.. I mean, Gordon batting 5th?)
They’re putting a charge in the ball now. Brown doubles (thank goodness they got German).
That was the worst call at second base on German i’ve ever seen. Umps must have money on Dice K.
Another double – is he getting tired? Just unlucky? Anyone watching?
His breaking stuff is hanging alittle more than it was earlier. He got super lucky with that call on German. Terrible. Even the Red Sox announcers know it was a bad call.
He doesn’t look like he’s missing location, Lar. I dunno what the problem is if there is one.
He got ‘im. 8 K’s for Matsuzaka. Is that it for him?
thank goodness for teks above average arm. jim…
He seems to have been a little miffed by that HR
Yes, walein, it was. Oh frickin’ well!
i say he comes back out
Questionable calls that inning. That’s baseball.
Meanwhile, DMat at 96 pitches.
Pedroia has been making some good contact this series hes had a couiple soft balls but mostly some nice contact.
Six leadoff men in a row with a hit.
For f***’s sake, score!
ugh!
Hellfire and brimstone. DP.
It was an erroneous call. Game should be tied. runner in scoring position with 1 out.
Man, that’s that. Come on pitchers, need some goose eggs (the kind on the board, not the kind that you lay).
96 pitches and the lead going into the 8th, and he’s coming out? in april? i call bullshit. if he does, tito should get a call in the dugout.
Walein, yep. Would you care to say it one more time?
let me rephrase that: dmat should be in the showers now. his day should be over.
yes! I’m digging it. I’m curious as to whom follows him before Pap.
hehe…devine said “sake”. i’ll take one too.
yes! I’m digging it. I’m curious as to whom follows him before Pap.
two observations on Matsuzaka
a. I love how he wiggles his ass lol
b. He has a nice smile.
9 K’s.
i don’t believe this. joe t. would never do this. for all the joking here, shealy and gload are dangerous.
The short-bussers over at LoHud are tearing this apart. I love it. ITS ONLY KANSAS CITY! Wait until he faces NY! That’s the true test to every pitcher on the planet. You’re nothing if not a Yankee.
10 K’s.
hes not pedro he can throw more then 100 pitches without his BAA against going from .219 to .675
make it an even ten.
Who pitches the 8th?
to be fair, alot of those commentors are also sayign how great he looks too brad
two observations on Matsuzaka
a. I love how he wiggles his ass lol
b. He has a nice smile.
Andrew, you forgot to add your name..P
well, i’m not sure i would have sent him out there for the 7th, but tito knows what he’s doing.
Looked like a great inning.. thought he would be out after 6.. he’s definitely out after 7, right?
KC or not, he shutted a lot of people up. Doing it against the Yanks is really another tier..
Tito’s gamble works. Good for him and Dmat–great outing; is it over now?–but i really think that was 1 inning too far. So he gets his feet wet on the Royals. Gets harder from here on out, nevermind the LoHud folks.
agreed, mg. I shouldn’t generalize.
Ohhhh…the 3-4-5. Let’s have a jack from somebody.
two observations on Matsuzaka
a. I love how he wiggles his ass lol
b. He has a nice smile
that was me :)
whoops. nevermind all. i thought that was the 8th, not the 7th. pls. disregard.
yeah, I don’t like one run games in either direction.
3.4.5. should make it two or three and ease my mind. Good news though, we get to see Papelbon for the first time!
ORTIZ!
another leadoff hit
Seven leadoff men in a row (and like 3 or 4 doubles). Come on…
Manny flies to center and Ortiz goes to 3rd. Come on, Drew…
Oh, they’re walking him…good idea.
Speedy Ortiz
That wasn’t a bad call. Ortiz is safe on the…passed ball?
Good hustle, big man!!!
Gordon really muffed that one. Horrible. 1st and 3rd now for the Sox (again) with one out.
Varitek strikes out. Surprise!
Crisp! Finally. It’s 4-1 now on the single.
im still not kooco for coco
GO DUSTIN GO PROVE BOSTON FANS WRONG!
Pedroia battling…
…gets a single by the infield. Bases loaded for Lugo.
Lowell might be the slowest human being ever. Also, Pedroia is smoking the ball so far – even most of his outs are hit hard, which is funny because when he signed my ball, it was like asking a phenom high school kid to do it – really, he is a little, little guy.
TJ, I think it’s more the rest of the world that doubts the kid. He proved more than competent in the past two years.
3-run lead after the 8th. C’mon, whoever! Romero maybe?
I have seen quite a few sox fans who are convinced hes an auto out much like gonzo was last year.
It actually annoys me that so many wanted to write him off a lready after last september.
1 down on the attempted bunt.
Cue Goodwin:
If Pavano’s effort at home against the Devil Rays was worthy of some praise, then why is Daisuke Matsuzaka met with a backhanded compliment like it “gets harder from here on out”.
That’s not to say that it doesn’t get harder (it certainly does), but that comment is offered only to provoke, not to offer anything much of use. Matsuazaka had a phenomenal debut, and it matters little with regards to today’s effort or those following how much harder next week will be.
2 outs, both fielded by Romero.
Every single ball he hit last year was smoked but right at someone: I don’t write him off at all. His hands are super fast, his balance is good, and he rarely misses what he swings at. He’s going to be a good to great contact hitter, which is exactly what he’s supposed to do.
Devine:
Can you shoot me an email at our hotmail.com address?
Through the 8th with the groundball to Pedroia. If they score next inning, does Papelbon come in anyway?
About the 7th inning controversy…I know it’s April, but Matsuzaka was routinely pushed past the 120 pitch mark in Japan. I thought Tito would pull him, and I bet he had a short leash, but 108 pitches isn’t exactly a heavy load for him or any other ace in the major leagues.
Gotta get him some work, no? When was the last time he threw?
i know theres some who have faith in Pedroia but i think a majority didnt.
Done, SF.
that’s horseshit sf. as i wrote earlier:
“not dice’s fault kc is undermanned. a win’s a win; if he gets it, no complaints here.”
“more power to him”
and
“great outing”
there were no “backhanded compliments” and the line was not intentionally provocative; just a statement of fact. He had a great day. The competition will get tougher henceforth.
That’s the golden sombrero for Ortiz, yeah? That’s what it’s called, right?
Manny grounds. So, Papelbon? I need a save in my league, Paps!
anyway, it’s a running game thread, so the “doesn’t offer much of use” line is ridiculous. it was a random comment, not a post initiating discussion of his performance.
d1: i don’t know that there was too much of a controversy. i thought the 7th was the 8th. my bad. i might have pulled him anyway, but at that point it’s not so controversial as if would have been him starting the 8th in that position.
I’m digging my Grady Sizemore MVP pick at the moment, even in it’s prematurity.
Consistently building speed at each pitch is Papelbon: 94, 95, 96.
2 down.
Think Tek will get dropped down in the order?
“not dice’s fault kc is undermanned”
Dude, this is the DEFINITION of a backhanded compliment. Nice try.
DONE!
That was a thing of beauty, just beautiful.
With 2 K in the 9th.
As God intended: Matsuzaka wins, Papelbon saves.
Nice! Sox on a pace to win 108 games!
door closed.
I thought it was “Jesus Saves, Esposito scores on the rebound”. Or that’s what it used to be in Boston.
Seth, I hope so.
The offense deserved to be taken out back and shot a couple of times, but they get a pass for this one.
i say 7-8-9 tommorrow will go Crisp, Pedroia, Mirabelli after that who knows
All I know is this, any honest Yankee fan would kill to have Mastuzaka in their rotation, KC of not, he’s good and you know it.
So can we get the appropriate reaction from you, SF, arbiter of appropriateness? Must we simply qvell at the genius of Matsuzaka, and leave that as it is, no mention of the fact that Arnold Horshack was batting in the 6 hole with Natalie Green at catcher? Can we not mention that? Okay. I won’t mention the fact that Potsy was in left field for the Royals today. Won’t mention it. All we need to know was that DAISUKE MATSUZAKA IS A PITCHING GOD AND HIS STUFF DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS. HE IS UNSTOPPABLE.
The Yankee fan unhinged, in full glory.
Gravy.
Well, I dunno if he’s a pitching god, but I do know that we may have seen two the the best third starters in the league today, right? The KC starter was very, very good against a much better lineup.
Overly defensive and sarcastic Yankee fan after the fact. Love it.
Would you be forgiving if Dice got shelled by the KC lineup (which isn’t that bad, by the way?) Not a chance in hell, so don’t start acting like that because he did extremely well.
Papelbon started right where he left off, and another decent outing from Romero as well.
Lugo’s hitting, Coco broke through with his first RBI, Pedroia’s probably swinging the best bat on the team right now, and Lowell and J.D. are raking.
All encouraging signs.
I love LoHud. It makes this site look so far above average. I’m happy that there is a core group around here that have, most of the time, real baseball arguments.
I can’t get into the fanboyish crap, no matter what side it’s coming down on.
All throughout spring training we heard that Daisuke wasn’t facing real major leaguers, that guys who were bewildered by his pitches either weren’t experienced enough to have credibility or that the lineups he faced were just a couple of bona fide MLBers amongst freckle-faced youngsters. So now he goes out and dominates a full-on Major League team (and yes, regardless of who was in the lineup it was a full roster of bona fide Major Leaguers) and now we get is “he was great BUT…”. YF is in utter denial that his comments are backhanded compliments. They are exactly that: praise muddled and weakened by qualification.
As far as the K.C. lineup goes, it’s not stacked with pricey former All-Stars like the Yankees, but they were one of the hottest-hitting teams in Spring Training.
But the whole “the Royals were undermanned” fails also to acknowledge that this was a Major League debut, in 40 degree weather, in April. Was this an experienced and mid-season-form Daisuke Matsuzaka, or a guy making a start under some pressure to perform in a new league in poor weather?
Qualifying this start in any way takes away from what it was, in very simple and non-prognosticatory terms: a fantastic, hopeful, artful beginning. Nothing more, and no projections offered regarding future successes.
This line is amazing, KC or not. I think my “break even” line for this game was probably something like, 6 IP, 2-3 ER, 6K’s, 6-9 H+BB. Probably much outperform that line by every bit.
It’s unfortunate…the Mariners and Orioles both have below-average lineups, too. I suppose we should qualify any praise over the next few weeks for Matsuzaka–and any other Boston pitcher–with a big ol’ “BUT.”
Where was the doubt when Pavano faced the Rays? If I were a YF I would have taken a little glimmer of hope from the fact that, given even an average day from the defense, he might have ended up with an OK line. That said, if what he did should inspire some happy thoughts and hope for a future sub-5 ERA…then what was Matsuzaka’s day worth? Not trying to knock anyone in particular
I thought Matsusaka pitched well, but besides getting the huge game-changing call strike out-throw out, in the 5th or 6th, the real story here for me was how well Greinke pitched.
He was facing a much more impressive lineup than Matsusaka.
I do feel great for Greinke and I hope he does well this season.
wow….258 posts….congrats sox fans…i just saw snippets on espn and it looks like dmat had a great first outing…i like that guy even if it sounds like sacrilege coming from a yf…
YF – “qvell”?
yeah, sometimes he takes that writer thing to extremes.