I had recorded the Opening Day matchup between the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s from two days ago, but didn’t get around to watching it until this afternoon. I was surprised at how wild Daisuke Matsuzaka looked in the game, and am beginning to wonder if he really is overrated (as many analysts and fans have proclaimed ever since he signed for $103 million).
Of course, much has been made of the fact that Matsuzaka was pitching in the Tokyo Dome for the first time since joining the Red Sox. Obviously, there was a media circus surrounding him and he couldn’t do anything without hundreds of cameras flashing in his face. So, the logical excuse was that Matsuzaka, who threw 95 pitches in just five innings of work, let his nerves get the best of him — but I don’t really buy that excuse.
Remember, this is the guy who went the distance in a 17-inning koshien game in high school (and followed it up with a no-hitter to win the tournament). He helped the Seibu Lions win the Japan Series in 2004, pitched on the Japanese Olympic team, led Japan to victory in the World Baseball Classic (earning MVP honors along the way), and won Game 3 of the 2007 World Series for the Red Sox.
In other words, Matsuzaka has pitched on just about ever major baseball stage in the world, and has had tremendous success on all of them. This is NOT a guy that would be affected by “butterflies”.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that Matsuzaka wasn’t a truly overpowering pitcher in Japan, so it stands to reason that he’s not going to be a powerhouse in the States either. In fact, I don’t think he ever won more than 15 games in a season in NPB, and would be very surprised if he did more than that for Boston this year.
I like Matsuzaka, but definitely think the Red Sox overpaid for him. $103 million? That’s about $50 million too much…!