Matsuzaka’s take
A calm and collected Daisuke Matsuzaka gave a press conference for English-speaking reporters after the first loss of his major league career tonight at Fenway Park. Matsuzaka said he was disappointed in himself for not living up to the hype of this game.
“After the game the players and the manager and the coaches all came up to me and told me that I did a good job,” Matsuzaka said through a translator. “But despite that, because of how well the opposing pitcher pitched today, I felt I had to hold them to as few runs as possible, and I wasn’t able to do that today.
“Yesterday during the opening ceremonies, when my name was called I received a great welcome by the fans here and it gave me goose bumps. It was the same thing today. I received a great welcome, and I was disappointed I was not able to respond in kind.”
Matsuzaka said the excitement of the game, and his matchup with Ichiro Suzuki, were a factor in his performance.
“Being at home, I got the sense early on that I’d finally arrived here in Boston,” he said. “My psychological state may have been heightened a little different than usual, but I wouldn’t say that was a bad thing.”
Matsuzaka’s first pitch to Ichiro was one of the most highly charged (and highly photographed) moments in recent Fenway Park memory.
“Of course I noticed [the flash bulbs], and it wasn’t easy to throw with all the flash bulbs going off, but I’m glad I got a strike,” said Matsuzaka. Ichiro is a “hitter that I wanted to face since his days in Japan, so compared to the other batters, I may have been a little more conscious of his attributes.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com