Going to Dice-K debut today...

[caulfield12]

Here in KC with milder temperatures expected, high 30's/lower 40's at gametime.

 

I will be back tonight with a firsthand report on the gyroball, lol.

 

http://www.kansascity.com/159/story/59916.html

Edited April 5, 2007 by caulfield12

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

I hope he gets shelled. ESPN has already gave him the Cy Young.

[DrunkBomber]

They did a special on that stupid pitch on sportscenter and they said all it is slider that doesnt slide and when the batters see it they think its gonna drop and it never does. I guess if you can pull it off it can be a pretty dangerous weapon but IMO when he gets exposure and batters get a better look at it it wont be effective at all. Like Shingos frisbee.

[Buehrle>Wood]

They did a special on that stupid pitch on sportscenter and they said all it is slider that doesnt slide and when the batters see it they think its gonna drop and it never does. I guess if you can pull it off it can be a pretty dangerous weapon but IMO when he gets exposure and batters get a better look at it it wont be effective at all. Like Shingos frisbee.

I thought they said they did not even know if he threw the gyroball or not? It is a pitch that has so far been exclusively used in Japan, but no one here seems to know whether it is in his aresenal or not. My guess is that it is, and the reason we have not yet seen it is because it is supposed to be a pure deceptive pitch.

[Flash Tizzle]

Daisuke undoubtedly has quality stuff, but judging from highlights earlier the umpires sure gave him a generous strike zone.

[danman31]

He looked decent, but he didn't blow me away. The Royals offense isn't that great and hitters don't know a thing about him yet. He kept the ball down and his control seemed to get better as the game went on, but the Sox were on at the same time so I can't really say too much. He had decent, but far from spectacular stuff. I think he could be a lot like Nomo. Once the hitters figure him out he's in trouble.

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

I thought they said they did not even know if he threw the gyroball or not? It is a pitch that has so far been exclusively used in Japan, but no one here seems to know whether it is in his aresenal or not. My guess is that it is, and the reason we have not yet seen it is because it is supposed to be a pure deceptive pitch.

 

All it is is a good change

[DrunkBomber]

When he can go into Yankee Stadium and get a win thats when Ill think hes gonna be as dominant as they say he is. He seemed to be good today but as someone else said it seemed like he had an extremely generous strikezone.

[caulfield12]

When he can go into Yankee Stadium and get a win thats when Ill think hes gonna be as dominant as they say he is. He seemed to be good today but as someone else said it seemed like he had an extremely generous strikezone.

 

1) Dice-K definitely has good stuff. He normally threw his FB in the 89-92 range, but would dial it up to 94-96 when he needed it. This was on a day similar to the cold in Chicago yesterday, although 36 degrees and not below freezing at gametime.

 

2) He's very composed and poised...especially on fielding plays like double play balls up the middle or swinging bunts. He doesn't overreact or get flustered. He takes him time and is always in control, looks like a very polished athlete.

 

3) The Red Sox did get some breaks. Particularly an out stealing that would have led to the tying run, as the next batter, Emil Brown would have doubled him home for a 2-2 game. I actually felt like the anti-Chicago media bias (Tribune is out to get the Sox) is just as bad in KC, with fans feeling the "East Coast" Red Sox/Yankees bias is totally against them. It felt almost like a Red Sox home game.

 

4) I had the sense he was on cruise control a little bit. DeJesus absolutely ripped that homer off him, and Sweeney and Grudzielanek were resting after a night game. Not a very challenging Royals line-up today, outside of Teahen, DeJesus and Gordon had his first big league hit.

 

5) Japanese broadcasters were predicting 7 IP and 12 K's, they weren't very far off.

 

6) As with all Japanese pitchers, he has a very unorthodox delivery. It's not quite as herky-jerky as Nomo when he came to the US, but it's definitely DIFFERENT. You can see how it would throw off a hitter's timing and they would need to make an adjustment. He seems to have a very compact, repeatable motion and "explodes" towards the batter when he throws his fastball.

 

7) As the game went on, he seemed to get much more comfortable with his breaking stuff and assorted offspeed arsenal, ranging from the high 50's to mid 80's. The thing they say about him as that he never goes away from a pitch that's not working, which is a very unusual sign of confidence from a pitcher...as most ditch the offspeed stuff and are forced to fastballs when their backs are agains the wall.

Edited April 6, 2007 by caulfield12

[RockRaines]

I love how on baseball tonight I have to watch every single one of his strikeouts. Greinke pitched almost the same line 7IP 7k 1ER, but I didnt even see a single one of his pitches at all.

[caulfield12]

I love how on baseball tonight I have to watch every single one of his strikeouts. Greinke pitched almost the same line 7IP 7k 1ER, but I didnt even see a single one of his pitches at all.

 

I don't think I've ever seen G-Load look so bad up there.

 

OTOH, the beloved Big Papi struck out three times against Greinke (twice without swinging) and that apparently wasn't noteworthy.

[DrunkBomber]

I know its speculation at this point but maybe he seems so poised because he doesnt understand the severity of being part of Red Sox nation. Like I said before, Japanese pitchers all seem to fizzle out once theyre delivery gets timed and there is some tape on them. I know this gy is supposed to be a monster but I think this is another example of ESPN going way overboard.

[Gregory Pratt]

1. Matsuzaka is more than, say, Nomo, who needed his delivery.

2. The "gyroball" as a "slider that doesn't slide" is actually something Pedro Martinez throws. He doesn't call it that, but the "creator" said that Pedro throws it without really knowing it and it works as a sort-of slider sort-of screwball for him.

 

Not sure if his is as good as Pedro's, but I'd say it's more than a gimmick pitch but less than a real pitch.

[ChWRoCk2]

Man they have to let the Dice K stuff go to rest, yes he pitched a good game but every second I hear his name and see him on TV.

 

For starters it was the royals, nothing overwhelming for a start. Mariners should face a tougher challenge at the plate, might be a little more challenging.

 

They just have to let the hype rest, Id rather hear more on Bonds.

[witesoxfan]

2. The "gyroball" as a "slider that doesn't slide" is actually something Pedro Martinez throws. He doesn't call it that, but the "creator" said that Pedro throws it without really knowing it and it works as a sort-of slider sort-of screwball for him.

 

Not sure if his is as good as Pedro's, but I'd say it's more than a gimmick pitch but less than a real pitch.

 

So like it's the frisbee, except that he doesn't depend on it like Shingo did?

[DrunkBomber]

So like it's the frisbee, except that he doesn't depend on it like Shingo did?

Thats the comparison Im trying to make. That frisbee pitch was deadly for a while and Shingo was a great closer. Once it was figured out he dissapeared. If Pedro throws the same pitch Id say he isnt using the delivery as much of a gimmick as Dice-K but it gives it more credibility because Pedro has been one of the most dominant pitchers of our time.

[Gregory Pratt]

No it's not like the frisbee. It's much more than a gimmick pitch. It's a solid enough pitch. But it's nothing baseball-world-changing.

 

Thats the comparison Im trying to make. That frisbee pitch was deadly for a while and Shingo was a great closer. Once it was figured out he dissapeared. If Pedro throws the same pitch Id say he isnt using the delivery as much of a gimmick as Dice-K but it gives it more credibility because Pedro has been one of the most dominant pitchers of our time.

 

Exactly. It's a for-real major league pitch, unlike Shingo's frisbee.

[DrunkBomber]

No it's not like the frisbee. It's much more than a gimmick pitch. It's a solid enough pitch. But it's nothing baseball-world-changing.

Exactly. It's a for-real major league pitch, unlike Shingo's frisbee.

How do you think he would pitch if that wasnt in his arsenal is more what I mean. I dont know too much about the guy but from what they make it sound like thats the pitch that is freezing batters. I also heard that sometimes he can pull an extra 3-5 mph on his fastball sometimes to screw up the batters timing.

[witesoxfan]

nono, what I'm saying is is that it's the same type of pitch, but neither Daisuke nor Pedro depend upon it like Shingo did.

 

For Shingo, that was his bread and butter. Once his bread was buttered, he got sent back to Japan in a heartbeat.

 

meh, making a mountain out of a molehill, I understand what you're saying.

[DrunkBomber]

Okay i got it, its more of a luxury than a necessity.

[caulfield12]

Man they have to let the Dice K stuff go to rest, yes he pitched a good game but every second I hear his name and see him on TV.

 

For starters it was the royals, nothing overwhelming for a start. Mariners should face a tougher challenge at the plate, might be a little more challenging.

 

They just have to let the hype rest, Id rather hear more on Bonds.

 

You think there will be less hype with Ichiro leading off the game against Dice-K, at FENWAY?

 

That's a good one. It will get more media mentions than the mini-series "The Day After"

 

Just wait until you see all the "dice sets" hanging from Red Sox hats and car mirrors...

[KevHead0881]

Watching SportsCenter. Took me a few days, but I'd like to thank the fine folks at ESPN for reminding me why I hate the Red Sox.

 

The guy looked good, but holy hell!

[Gregory Pratt]

Pedro's "gyroball" -- he throws it like a fastball, as Matsuzaka is said to, and it freezes up batters and jams them because it looks like a slider but it never slides and simply stays in and screws them up.

 

It's a fairly important part of his repoitoire. It's a 92 MPH pitch, so it's much more than Shingo's frisbee which was garbage pure and simple.

 

I'm not sure how hard Matsuzaka throws his, but it's probably more important to his repoitoire than it is to Pedro's. Pedro possesses, after all, the best changeup in baseball, one of the tightest curves, pinpoint accuracy and hides the ball well.