Bradenton, Fla. – Traffic sits at a standstill. Scalpers scream and wave homemade signs, gushing as they receive $75 for $10 tickets. A flood of red and navy blue T-shirts flow into McKechnie Field.
Somebody important is inside.
Daisuke Matsuzaka isn’t a pitcher. He’s an event, his outings marked on the calendar like holidays or birthday parties. On a windy Wednesday, Matsuzaka blew into town and left the Pittsburgh Pirates bedazzled and confused.
Don’t believe the hype? How about the type: 5 2/3 innings, one hit, seven strikeouts.
“I was impressed. Obviously, he had a very good changeup and slider. He must have had a dozen different pitches,” said Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche, who recorded the only hit, an RBI single in the first inning. “I asked (Boston catcher Jason) Varitek how many and he said, ‘I don’t know, but I have to use both hands to give signs.”‘
The Red Sox paid $103 million for Matsuzaka, creating wild expectations for the right-hander who is referred to as a “national icon” in Japan. Wearing a white hoodie with his number emblazoned on the front, Matsuzaka appeared at ease with his celebrity.
As a battery of 50 or so reporters inquired about his most impressive and longest start, teammates Mike Lowell and Wily Mo Pena looked on from a clubhouse window, amused by the spectacle.
The Pirates found nothing particularly funny about his slider – it breaks late – or his 94-mph fastball.
“Each game, each day is a learning experience for me,” said Matsuzaka, who threw 92 pitches, 61 strikes. “I am having a lot of fun here.”
Struggling with his grip – he kept licking his fingers, which led to complaints from the Pirates – Matsuzaka hit leadoff hitter Chris Duffy. LaRoche eventually drove in Duffy with a hard single to right field. Matsuzaka then retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced, exiting to a standing ovation in the Pirates’ stadium.
“I was grateful, happy and a little embarrassed,” Matsuzaka said.
The Red Sox have gone to great lengths to smooth Matsuzaka’s transition. They agreed to pay his spring training housing – up to $25,000 – and his Florida rental car, while providing an interpreter, personal trainer and an employee assigned solely to handle the Japanese media.
Thus far, the pitcher has been more fascination than distraction, explained Varitek. “He’s been absolutely tremendous in how he has handled everything,” Varitek said. “You can tell he’s used to this.”
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
