BOSTON - Nearly eight years ago - May 16, 1999, to be exact - the two first faced off.
Last night - at 7:11, to be exact - the one-time 18-year-old phenom pitcher and the established Japanese superstar were re-introduced via a 78 mph curveball and a park full of flash bulbs.
One pitch made a nation of 20 million television viewers halt their early morning commutes and tune in to see Japan's two biggest baseball heroes do battle.
One pitch ended an offseason of anticipation for baseball fans wondering what would happen if Japan's preeminent export met the country's latest hope for major league stardom.
One pitch put an exclamation point on a journey that had coaxed 350 media members to Fenway Park.
A lot went into that one pitch last night, and the result resonated from 10 time zones away.
Daisuke Matsuzka first delivered a pitch to Ichiro Suzuki as an 18-year-old member of the Seibu Lions. Three at-bats later, the Orix Blue Wave's star outfielder had fanned three times.
"Fastball, slider, slider," Suzuki said, recalling what pitches he went down on in each of the appearances.
It was after that first showdown that Matsuzaka uttered a quote that still is passed from player to player in Japan. "My confidence," he said, "turned into conviction today."
Some 2,884 days - and 33 more at-bats involving the two later - Matsuzaka again faced the source of his conviction. It was bigger than Opening Day, as most international extravaganzas tend to be, even though Dice-K was overshadowed by Mariners 21-year-old star Felix Hernandez in a 3-0 loss.
How would Suzuki do? The Mariners leadoff hitter had garnered eight hits in 34 at-bats against Matsuzaka, but was coming off a three-strikeout performance against Boston the day before. Then there was the question as what that first pitch would be?
"I think he has a plan," said Craig Shipley, Red Sox international scouting director, just moments before watching Matsuzaka make his Fenway debut. "Because of his ability to throw so many different pitches in so many different counts, it is hard to see a pattern."
As the moment drew closer, more analysis and recollections flowed within the two clubhouses. Former Mariners pitcher and current Red Sox reliever Joel Pineiro reminisced about watching Suzuki prepare for every game.
"Most of the time he ate a certain amount of chicken wings, and then there were rice balls and some stretching," Pineiro said. "He did the same thing every day. Ichiro was great as a teammate."
Just after Pineiro's recollection of Suzuki, Red Sox manager Terry Francona bridged the excitement with his pregame press briefing.
"When I came to the ballpark, I wasn't feeling any different," he admitted. "But then you hear people talk about what a big day it is."
The skipper then went on to relay that the only experience he had endured that could compare to yesterday's mayhem was when one of his former Birmingham Barons players, a gentleman named Michael Jordan, returned to Zebulon, N.C., to play the Carolina Mudcats.
"Ted Koppel was there," he said. "I don't see him here tonight."
In the Seattle clubhouse, Suzuki was proving he put his pants on one leg at a time ... literally. Two minutes after putting on his uniform and stretching (a practice that never seems to end), the outfielder headed off to the batting cage. In the meantime, Mariners cleanup hitter Richie Sexson finished playing with a remote control plastic black rat and started the process of pulling up video on the Matsuzaka mystery man.
"It's probably going to be a fastball," Sexson surmised of the Red Sox starter's first pitch to his countryman. "I do know this: There are going to be a lot of lights."
Suzuki was one of the few in the green and gray who knew what to expect. Or so he thought?
First came the curveball, then two fastballs, a slider and, finally, with the count full, a 94 mph heater which was bounced right back to the pitcher. Flash bulbs popped, a Japanese early morning work force was mobilized and another chapter of international intrigue on the baseball diamond was closed.
Matsuzaka wouldn't get the win this time around, going seven innings, giving up eight hits and three runs. But, in the eyes of a proud nation, that one pitch was enough to define an entire evening.
