Daisuke Matsuzaka is Japanese for Derek Lowe

One game Daisuke Matsusaka is coughing up 5 runs in the first to the Yankees… next thing you know he’s throwing a no hitter into the 8th inning in Philadelphia… next start he can’t get out of the 5th against the Royals.

Isn’t that a microcosm of the Dice-K era in Boston?
Every time you say “I think Dice-K is going to pitch like an ace now” he wets the bed.
Every time you say “Oh man, it was a huge mistake bringing him here” he throws a great game.

Sound familiar?

That was Derek Lowe to a T!

Remember how he blossomed and became a great reliever for one season in 2000? We all thought “Holy Cats! We’ve got a classic shut them down closer!”

Then the next year he was so bad he nearly torpedoed the season all by himself.

Then the next year, 2002, he threw a no hitter in April, became a 20 game winner and nearly won the Cy Young Award.

Then his ERA jumped nearly 2 runs the next year. Man you can’t rely on him in the big game.

But he came out of the bullpen and shut down the A’s in that amazing Division Series. He’s back!

Then he lost 2 starts against the Yankees in the ALCS. He’s done.

Then 2004 he was so awful that his ERA was over 5 and he wasn’t even in the post season rotation. He sucks. He’s a mop up man.





Then he won all three clinching games in the 2004 playoffs, including 6 innings of 1 hit ball in the Bronx to win the pennant and 7 shutout innings in St. Louis to win the World Series.

He left perfectly. He left with everyone remembering him as a playoff hero. He got the wild standing ovation during the ring ceremony in 2005 even though he had split for the Dodgers.

It’s like people remembering the Belushi/Chevy years of SNL. They only remember the good parts… not the many unwatchable episodes.

And so it is with Dice-K.

We’ve got the next great pitcher in baseball!

Oooo. He’s not that good. He might suck.

Oh my God! He clinched the pennant! And he got 2 RBI in the World Series and won his game!

Holy Cow he’s an 18 game winner and nearly threw a no hitter in the ALCS against the Rays!

Oh man, he blew his arm out pitching in that stupid World Baseball Classic.

He stinks, he let up 5 runs in the first.

Holy Crap! He’s throwing a no hitter! He’s awesome again! Who needs Beckett?

He’s walking the Royals with the bases loaded… why did we sign this guy?



Going up and down that fast will usually give a guy the bends!

Rooting for these guys was kind of like yelling “No Whammys!” while playing Press Your Luck. There’s no rhyme nor reason and you are either going to be thrilled or incensed.

Let’s hope Dice-K has another string of post season luck in him.
There’s only 14 more years left on his contract.