This is what he was brought here for.
One hundred and fifty million dollars, 61 regular season starts and six postseason appearances have brought Daisuke Matsuzaka to this moment where Boston fans will see if he can be what they have been dying for him become - the ace of the Red Sox staff.
Red Sox' pitching struggles
It is a crucial time. It's the time when the Red Sox need Matsuzaka more than they have ever needed him before - down, 3-1, heading into Game 5 of the ALCS. To this point, outside of Matsuzaka, the Red Sox starting pitching has been nothing short of horrid. Josh Beckett, the hero of two previous World Series, was clearly not himself, giving up an eye-popping eight runs in just 4.1 innings pitched, leading to rumblings that he's truly not healthy after back-to-back poor postseason outings. Jon Lester, who had been the Red Sox best pitcher for the entire season, let things get away from him in the third inning and lost. And in by far the worst outing of the night, Tim Wakefield was blasted for five runs in a mere 2.2 innings.
Positives for Dice-K
So now, Matsuzaka, that frustrating pitcher who loads the bases seemingly just because he loves giving the fans from Back Bay for Bangor heart attacks, is in a position where they need him to come up with a gem. And it can be done. It now seems a distant memory, but Matsuzaka took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Rays in Game 1 and didn't allow a run through seven innings. During the regular season, Dice-K has done well against Tampa Bay with a 1-0 record and a 3.00 ERA in three starts. He was also 9-3 at Fenway Park this year with a 3.34 ERA.
Negatives for Dice-K
Still, there are quite a few things that could go very wrong. Matsuzaka won a 13-5 decision against the Rays, but despite his solid pitching, the team lost the other two games by one run. Matsuzaka also distributed 11 walks to Tampa Bay hitters in 15 innings. More often than not this season he's been able to wriggle out of these situations, but the Rays have done an excellent job throughout the series of driving in runners in scoring position. If he's going to issue free passes, he has to keep runners close and try to keep them from running themselves into scoring position. Not an easy task.
Can Matsuzaka handle it?
And while we can talk ERAs and situations all day long, the biggest question regarding Matsuzaka remains a simple one and a complex one all at the same time: Can he handle being THE guy? Going back to his rookie season last year, there have been major questions about Matsuzaka's mental toughness. This year, however, he has shown a ton of poise, especially in those tight situations he always seems to be in. But it still remains to be seen if Dice-K can help the Red Sox wriggle out of their biggest jam yet.
Christopher Maza - Chris Maza is a sports writer based out of the Greater Springfield area in Massachusetts. He has been published in several publications in ...
