Chacin outduels Dice-K
By Cathal Kelly
Toronto did a lot of little things right last night. There were standout defensive plays from second baseman Aaron Hill and centre fielder Vernon Wells once again. Third baseman Jason Smith leapt to grab a Julio Lugo liner in the eighth and doubled up J.D. Drew, who was off and running from first.
But the team leading the league in club batting average was not able to do much against Boston's Matsuzaka.
Inning of walks slows Dice-K express in T.O.
By Richard Griffin
"The one thing he does do that is a little different is he goes on feel a lot," the manager offered. "We're so routine-oriented here and, again, we've made that real clear to him up front that, hey, we want you to win a lot of games. We want you to be a good pitcher. We don't want to just tell you what you have to do. There's been a lot of give and take and a lot of time to learn."
One good thing about Dice-K's first landing site in Boston is that the clubhouse has forever been a beehive of media activity, so the addition of 50-100 Japanese reporters is not as disruptive as it might be elsewhere.
Toronto Sun
Jays race with a limp
By Bob Elliott
Boston is in a 14-game stretch, including last night, where they play the Jays and the New York Yankees 12 times. Is there a worse time to find a waiting line for the trainer's room?
There's a similar line in the Yankee clubhouse as Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano joined starter Chein-Ming Wang on the disabled list.
The Jays need to tread water to keep their collective heads above sea level with three key players missing. They have to do well against Boston.
Gus trumps Dice-K
By Ken Fidlin
He immediately walked Frank Thomas. Then Lyle Overbay ripped a hard groundball that shortstop Julio Lugo got a glove on but couldn't stop, driving in a run. Had Lugo been able to make the play, it would have been a certain inning-ending double play. Matsuzaka then walked Aaron Hill to load the bases before walking Zaun to bring home Thomas. Matsuzaka gathered himself to strike out Royce Clayton and then third basem,an Jason Smith came within a few feet of a grand slam before Boston centrefielder Coco Crisp collected the out at the base of the wall.
Globe & Mail
Matsuzaka can't control the outcome
By Robert Macleod
Jason Frasor, Toronto's closer while B.J. Ryan is on the shelf with a sore elbow, came on to get the final out of the eighth and then pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save.
Dice-K excitement peaks with debut
By Stephen Brunt
He is the total package in many ways, a star who is still on the upswing, the subject of a great bidding war in America, and a bigger, more outgoing personality than any of his Japanese predecessors here. Plus, he is pure baseball exotica, possessor of a funky, slow motion windup, an array of arm angles, an arsenal that stretches from off-speed stuff in the mid 70s to heat in the mid 90s, and perhaps the only living practitioner of the mysterious gyroball
