Matsuzaka Shines as Red Sox Take Game One from Dash
September 9, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Winston-Salem, NC (September 9, 2009) - Daisuke Matsuzaka brought a big-league feel to Salem's playoff opener, and Boston will be happy to know that the Japanese righthander delivered a big-league caliber performance, mixing pitches, speeds, and locations well over six and two-third innings to lead the Salem Sox past the Winston-Salem Dash 7-2 in game one of the 2009 Southern Division Championship Series. Brad Correll belted a two-run homer in the top of the first off Winston starter Justin Edwards to set the tone, while Matsuzaka stymied the Dash, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven. Jon Hee also made up for a first-inning error by going 3-3 with a walk, driving in a run and scoring twice to lead the Salem offense.
After Correll served Salem the early edge, Matsuzaka took the mound amidst 3,007 at Wake Forest Baseball Park. After retiring Dale Mollenhauer on a lazy fly ball to center, he walked the number two hitter, Greg Paiml, and Hee's error on Salvador Sanchez' grounder put runners at the corners with one out. Brent Morel's single made it 2-1, but Correll threw out Sanchez as he attempted to advance to third. Correll then aided Matsuzaka with a nice sliding catch in shallow right field to end the first inning.
After the first inning, Justin Edwards went toe-to-toe with Matsuzaka in impressive fashion, keeping the score at 2-1 through the fifth inning. Matsuzaka allowed a swinging bunt single to Justin Greene in the second inning, but then proceeded to retire 15 of the next 16 before he hit Logan Johnson with a pitch in the seventh. He followed the plunking of Johnson by striking out Greene to conclude his outing with seven Ks. With two outs in the seventh and Salem leading 4-1, the Red Sox turned it over to the bullpen for the remaining seven outs.
Salem scored single runs in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and two in the ninth to provide some comforting insurance for the pen. Jason Rice walked three but limited the damage to just one in his inning on the hill. Kyle Fernandes took over for Rice with two on and two out in the last of the eighth and struck out Johnson, the only batter he faced, to send the game to the ninth. Although not a save situation after the pair of runs in the top of the last, closer Derrick Loop tossed a perfect final inning for Salem to preserve the victory for the Red Sox and Matsuzaka.
Correll complemented Hee's 3-3 night with a 2-4 performance of his own, and Anthony Rizzo and Tim Federowicz also drove in runs for the Red Sox who pounded ten hits off the Dash. Winston-Salem finished with just four hits, two of them owned by Greene. Morel went 1-3 and drove in both Winston runs, the latter coming on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Salem now seeks a commanding two games to none lead as game two of the series occurs on Thursday night at Wake Forest Baseball Park. Kyle Weiland is set to tangle with Anthony Carter in a battle of righthanders, scheduled for a 7:00 first pitch. Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 on the Salem Red Sox Baseball Network, airing live on NewsTalk960 WFIR in the Roanoke Valley and streaming live online at www.salemsox.com.
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