Sox win behind Dice-K's 1st complete game

Sox 7, Detroit 1
WP: Matsuzaka (5-2)
LP: Robertson (3-3)
HRs: DET- Granderson (7)

SUMMARY:
Dice-K made one mistake all night- a pitch that Curtis Granderson hit over the bullpen in the 3rd- but other than that the Diceman was lights-out in recording his first major league complete game.

Boston's offense hammered Detroit pitching for 15 hits and turned a close game (3-1 Boston) into a laugher by hanging a 4-spot on former D-Rays castoff Bobby Seay (there's that magic phrase again) in the 8th, which allowed Matsuzaka to come out and complete his gem.

HERO: Dice-K 9IP, 6H, 1R, 0BB, 5K, HR
This was the dominating pitcher RSN had been waiting to see all season long. Sure we had little tastes here & there, but this was a flat-out money performance against a superior team that should silence all doubts about his ability as a major league pitcher.

GOAT: Seay 1IP, 4H, 4ER, BB, K
Starter Nate Robertson was no prize (11 hits and three runs in five innings), but Seay turned a competitive contest into a rout with his 8th-inning meltdown.

RECAP:
It was the night every Red Sox fan had been waiting for ever since the team plunked down $51 million bucks just to talk to the guy last winter.

"The Diceman Cometh" will read every sports page headline from Back Bay to Taipei, because tonight marked Daisuke Matsuzaka's official entry into elite pitcher status. Although the way the evening started, it didn't appear as if we'd be celebrating any Sox milestones.

Curtis Granderson started the game off by singling to right field; he easily scooted into 2nd when rightfielder J.D. Drew bobbled the ball and was charged with an error. But Dice struck out two of the next three batters to escape the jam, a little sign of what was to come.

After setting the Tigers down in order in the 2nd, Granderson proved to be a thorn in Matsuzaka's side when he homered deep into the bleachers in right for a 1-0 Detroit lead in the 3rd. But after that small rough patch, things settled down and started looking up when the Sox tied the game in the bottom of the 3rd.

Youk, who had yet another multi-hit game, his 6th in the last eight games, started a two-out rally with a double. Papi's single to left center tied the game at one, and even though the rally ended there, the game was all square again, and after Matsuzaka escaped a 2-on, 2-out jam in the 4th it was as if Dice found new life.

Boston took the lead in the 4th when Cap'n Tek smacked a 2-out double, Coco dropped a single in front of Granderson and Tek hustled home for a 2-1 Sox lead. In the 5th another double, this time by Papi, followed by an RBI single from Manny, pushed the lead to 3-1, and it was time for Dice-K to buckle down and bring this thing home.

I'd say mission accomplished, as Matsuzaka retired 12 of the next 13 batters before allowing a leadoff single to Gary Sheffield in the 9th. Meanwhile the Sox hitters were reminding Bobby Seay was he was a big time bust in Tampa Bay. Seay relived Tim Byrdak, who held the fort by pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Robertson, in the 8th, and as soon as he entered the Sox commenced with Operation:Game Over.

Lowell lined out sharply to first to start the inning, but then Tek followed with a walk. Coco and Pedroia singled to load the bases, and then the emerging Julio Lugo unloaded them with a triple to the left center gap that scored all the runners and put an end to any hopes of a comeback Detroit might have been harboring. For good measure, Youk knocked in Lugo to make it 7-1, and Papelbon could sit down and enjoy another night off, 'cause Tito made the decision that this was Dice's game to close.

After the single to Sheff, Matsuzaka retired Magglio Ordonez, one of the league's hottest hitters, on a strikeout, Carlos Guillen on a fly ball, and when Ivan Rodriguez grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game, the Faithful went wild, Dice-K smiled, and another step in the quest for the championship had been completed.

Matsuzaka's now got a 3-game win streak, is three games over .500, hasn't allowed a run in the last 16 innings, and has lowered his ERA from 5.45 to 4.17 in his last two starts.

Welcome to the big leagues, Daisuke. Now you've earned it.

NOTES:

- The sizzling Sox bats cranked out another 15 hits and incredibly seven players had two hits apiece: Lugo, Youk, Papi, Lowell, Tek, Coco & Pedroia. The only starter without a hit-AGAIN? J.D. Drew (0-4, 3Ks), who is now batting .248.

-Ironically the only other player not to have multiple hits was Manny (1-5, RBI, 2K), and he is also batting .248. Hmmm. Ramirez' ribbie was #1,540 of his career, moving him into 38th place all-time

-Youk is batting a white-hot .471 (16-34) over the last eight games, raising his average from .286 to .328

-Boston now owns an 8 1/2 game lead in the East, it's largest margin since September 1995, and also took over the best record in the majors (26-11)

-This was Boston's first complete game of the season

-Robertson only allowed three runs and gave up no walks, but he "scattered" 11 hits and threw an astonishing 115 pitches in just five innings

-Lugo has a 7-game hitting streak in which he is batting .412 (14-34) with 4 runs scored and 10 batted in, raising his average from .221 to .265- Finally!

QUOTES:

-"I was very impressed. He's the real deal."-Tigers manager Smokin' Jim Leyland on Matsuzaka

-"I wouldn't say that my stuff was the best that I've ever had, but as for the results, I'm definitely the most happy about what happened today."- Dice expressing his thoughts on the outing

-"I didn't see any reason to take him out." -Tito on his decision to leave him in for the CG

RECORD: 26-11

AL EAST: Up 8 1/2 gms on the Stanks

UP NEXT: Tue vs. DET 7P