Friday Random YouTube: Matsuzaka's First out at Fenway

This YouTube video of Daisuke Matsuzaka racking up his first out at Fenway was taken by a fan sitting out in right field. The quality of the video isn't great (it's actually difficult to tell when Matsuzaka makes a pitch), but you can get a good sense of how insane the flashbulbs were during Ichiro's at bat.

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Ichiro! Zen Master

I've lived in Seattle for four years now so I'm familiar with the soul-searching musings of Ichiro! that find their way into baseball articles ("If I'm in a slump, I ask myself for advice"). This one, prompted by a question about opposing Daisuke Matsuzaka, really...uhm...takes the cake. From the Seattle Times:

"I hope he arouses the fire that's dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger." -- Ichiro on facing Matsuzaka Wednesday

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The Showdown

I saw this Daisuke Matsuzaka vs Ichiro video over on Deadspin. I have no idea what is being said, but the gist is that a)Matsuzaka has had the upper hand in previous encounters with Ichiro and b)the Japanese are wicked psyched for Wednesday's matchup:

In a twist that will add to the drama of Wednesday's game, the Seattle Mariners announced that their own young stud pitcher, Felix Hernandez, will match up against Matsuzaka. The M's had their entire weekend series snowed out in Cleveland, so Hernandez will be pitching on eight days rest. "King Felix" (as he is referred to in Seattle) was awesome in his first start of the season (8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 12 K). He will be fun to watch too.

My dad and I have tickets to the game Wednesday, so I'll be doing the "PLEASE don't rain" dance for the next 48 hours (no video footage available). So far, the forecast for Boston is "good":

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