Game Preview: Sox @ Jays GM2

Matsuzaka (3-2, 5.45) vs. Ohka (2-3, 5.02)

7P EST SkyDome (or whatever)

My sources (i.e four "reputable" websites) had informed me that Toronto youngster Dustin McGowan was getting the start tonight and Ohka in the finale.

But much like the data on those elusive WMD's, my intel was incorrect, and Ohka will go tonight followed by Halladay tomorrow. I know, I know...damn off day threw me off.

But hey, instead of a yawn-inducing matchup of a Japanese pitcher facing an Irish-American hurler on the mound, we baseball fans will be treated to the fourth time ever two Japanese starting pitchers will face each other in a major league game.

Hold your confetti, please.

Is it just me or are you already sick of these "Japanese firsts" in baseball; let's face it, the whole freakin league is turning Japanese, and I mean that in a good way.

From Dice-K to Hideo Nomo to Ichiro & Mac Suzuki there have been enough Japanese players in the league now to stop mentioning every meaningless milestones of Japanese/ American baseball.

Iwamura, Okajima, Matsui, H., Matsui, K., Hasegawa, Taguchi, Johjima, Irabu, the list has gotten longer each year to the point that it shouldn't matter every time these guys square off against one another.

Let's start treating these games as if it were just another matchup of a $103 million dollar potential franchise savior and a six-teams-in-six-years million-dollar washout.

There, now that I got that out of the way I can say that the Sox have the advantage again this evening over the sinking ship that is the SS Blue Jay. The last time Dice was in the Dome, back on April 17th, he threw six innings of three-hit ball, giving up two runs while striking out 10 in a 2-1 Boston loss.

Ohka, meanwhile, had been getting better lately but got hammered last time out, allowing seven runs and 10 hits in seven innings at Texas last Friday. In other words more of the same for the man who never lived up to his lofty expectations after he ventured from the Far East way back in 1999.

Wait a minute, Ohka's been in the league since '99 and this is only the fourth time two Japanese pitchers have faced each other?

That is pretty cool!

Go Dice!