DaisukeMatsuzaka.com- Boston Red Sox Pitcher: Daisuke Matsuzaka a good bet Daisuke Matsuzaka a good bet ================================================================================ Sean McAdam / BostonHerald.com on 29 March, 2009 12:58:00 FORT MYERS - He can drive everyone crazy with his high pitch counts. His penchant for nibbling, rather than attacking, the strike zone can be infuriating. But say this about Daisuke Matsuzaka [stats] - he knows how to win. Just check the record. He pitched his high school team in Japan to the Koshien National High School Tournament in 1998. He was part of the bronze-medal winning Japanese team at the 2000 Olympics. He pitched Team Japan to the championship in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, then, in his first season in the major leagues, helped the Red Sox [team stats] win a World Series. Earlier this week, Matsuzakas Japanese team successfully defended its World Baseball Classic crown. On baseballs international stage, Matsuzaka was the biggest star. "I always feel that I want to win and to be No. 1," said Matsuzaka, "and if I can keep increasing the number of times I can do that, then I will be happy." When he rejoined his Red Sox teammates here yesterday morning, seeing most of them for the first time since last October, they approached him, one by one, to offer their congratulations. Matsuzaka greeted them with what seemed like a mixture of pride and embarrassment. Its important to note, too, that Matsuzaka isnt some bit part on these championship efforts. He was the MVP of the Koshien Tournament and of both WBC wins. In Japanese baseball circles, Matsuzaka is an iconic figure. His 17-inning, 250-pitch effort in the Koshien semifinals alerted North American talent evaluators and began his international ascendancy. After two seasons with the Red Sox, however, Matsuzaka remains something of an enigma to the American baseball community. Although he has won 33 games in his first two seasons with the Sox, there is the hint of disappointment about his MLB work. Wasnt he supposed to be more dominant, more spectacular than this? Patient lineups have been known to wear him down by driving up his pitch count. In the postseason, when reputations are earned, he has a career ERA of 4.79, more than a run higher than his career regular-season mark (3.69). When manager Terry Francona announces his rotation to start the 2009 season, its expected Matsuzaka will be the No. 3 starter, which hardly seems appropriate for a star of his international magnitude. But Matsuzaka has more to prove here, more to learn about succeeding in the big leagues. The knock - if there can be a knock on someone who has won slightly more than 70 percent of his decisions - is that Matsuzaka doesnt trust his stuff enough, and that his chronic nibbling is a reflection of his respect for the American power game. At 28, theres room and perhaps even an expectation for improvement. Shouldnt the worlds most famous pitcher be better than the third starter on his own staff? In that sense, Matsuzakas career path is exactly backward. While some star players achieve individual greatness but never claim the ultimate championship prize, Matsuzakas profile is reversed. Having already demonstrated he can be part of a successful collaborative, it might be time for him to more fully realize his individual brilliance... BostonHerald.com