Matsuzaka sharp in his first start

Coco Crisp had the best seat in the house for the grand theater.

Taking his defensive stance in center field, Crisp could look directly in at the mound and the plate at Kauffman Stadium. From that vantage point, he saw every one of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s 108 pitches Thursday in the Japanese right-hander’s first U.S. major league start.

Matsuzaka’s debut proved a smashing success. The pitcher the Red Sox spent $103.1 million to acquire gave up one run and six hits over seven innings and struck out 10 in a 4-1 victory over the Royals.

For the Red Sox, seeing was believing. Matsuzaka came within one strikeout of tying Don Aase in 1977 for most by a Red Sox pitcher in his major league debut.

“He definitely lived up to the Dice-KKKKK today,” Crisp said. “He looked really good. He had control of all of his pitches. He was getting ahead with off-speed pitches, fastballs and changeups. That’s what you want to do, is get ahead with everything in your arsenal. It’s pretty tough to hit against someone like that.

“Hopefully there’s more to come. He’s a star already.”

Matsuzaka, 26, brought his own star with him from Japan, having dominated the Pacific League before joining the Red Sox in December. He was a rock star in spikes -- and spiked hair -- all spring in Florida, but Thursday was the first real test of whether all the hype was justified.

Routinely getting ahead of the Royals batters (74 strikes), Matsuzaka was in control from the beginning, giving up only a solo homer to David DeJesus in the sixth and striking out four of the final six batters he faced.

“I can’t say that my overall condition was that great today,” Matsuzaka said. “But I think the role of the starting pitcher is to set up the game and give my teammates an opportunity to win. I feel I was able to do that today, so I’m satisfied.

“Up to now, given all the expectations that have surrounded me, I felt happy about those expectations, at the same time feeling like they were a little extreme. Speaking for myself and all the fans that have supported me here, it’s great that I was able to come out here and record a victory in my first start.”

Matsuzaka left with a 2-1 lead, courtesy of Manny Ramirez’s run-scoring double in the first and Julio Lugo’s stealing third and scoring on catcher John Buck’s throwing error in the fifth against Zack Greinke, who went seven innings. The Red Sox added two runs in the eighth, one on Crisp’s first hit of the season.

J.C. Romero pitched the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon had a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.

Matsuzaka struck out the side in the fourth to complete a run of 10 consecutive retired batters after he gave up a leadoff single and a walk in the first. He recorded strikeouts with a fastball clocked at 94 mph and a curve that froze batters.

“He threw everything today,” said DeJesus, who had two of the six hits against Matsuzaka. “I don’t know what to call it all. He definitely has a variety of pitches, and he can throw them for strikes. That makes him tough.”

And when Matsuzaka went back out to pitch the seventh having thrown 96 pitches, and got his final two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning that preserved a one-run lead, it was clear this is what international scouts Craig Shipley and John Deeble had in mind when they spearheaded the effort to bring Matsuzaka to Boston.

“I thought from the get-go he was sharp with all his pitches, and he had to be,” Red Sox Manager Terry Francona said. “Daisuke really threw the ball the way he needed to. We got one early, and he made it stand up.

“It’s easy for us to take our bows today. I think Ship and Deebs

Matsuzaka came to America with a reputation for having an almost savant-like quality on the mound, impervious to pressure. Although this start was anticipated on two continents -- as many as 135 Japanese media members were on hand to chronicle it -- Matsuzaka said afterward that he felt no unusual pressure.

“It was really such a normal day for me,” Matsuzaka said. “I think when I look back, my first start at Koshien [a high school tournament], there’s definitely something emotional about that day. As for today, it’s a day I’ve been waiting for a long time, but given that fact, it felt surprisingly normal.”

The Red Sox can only hope he maintains that demeanor. His next start will be an even bigger circus -- Wednesday at Fenway Park against countryman Ichiro Suzuki and the Seattle Mariners.

“I don’t care what people expect,” Francona said. “We just want him to be the best pitcher he can be. The expectations, what I’ve heard so far, are unreachable. But he’s got this thing figured out.

“He loves to pitch, he enjoys the game and he’s pretty good. That’s good enough for me.”

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Great expectations

How other highly touted Japanese players fared in their major league debuts:

*--* HIDEO NOMO

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* Debut: For Dodgers, May 2, 1995, pitched one-hit ball and struck out seven in five innings against San Francisco.

* First season: Named NL rookie of the year after posting a 13-6 record with a 2.54 earned-run average.

*--* HIDEKI IRABU

*--*

* Debut: For N.Y. Yankees, July 10, 1997, struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings against Texas.

* First season: Had a 5-4 record and a 7.09 ERA in 13 games.

*--* ICHIRO SUZUKI

*--*

* Debut: For Seattle, April 2, 2001, had two hits in five at-bats and scored a run against Oakland.

* First season: Was AL most valuable player and rookie of the year, collecting 242 hits and batting .350.

*--* HIDEKI MATSUI

*--*

* Debut: For N.Y Yankees, March 31, 2003, singled in a run in his first at-bat against Toronto.

* First season: Played in every game for the Yankees, batting .287 and driving in 106 runs.

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Los Angeles Times