Monstrous fourth not a disaster

"I wouldn't say any personal satisfaction in beating the Yankees," Matsuzaka answered through his translator. "But as a team, we're very happy."

And as a Nation, Sox fans are very happy. The first-place Sox have now pounded the erstwhile Bombers four consecutive times in the last eight days and take a 6 1/2-game lead over New York into this afternoon's nationally televised game. The Sox are up, the Yankees are down (seven straight losses), and this is the time to put a cleat on the throats of the Pinstriped Bunch.

Dice-K is certainly doing his part. Last night's victory raised his record to 3-2. His ERA is 4.36 and rising, but beating the Yankees is all that matters.

"There might not be a lot of games against these guys that are artistic," acknowledged Sox manager Terry Francona. "These guys are good hitters. They make you work . . . We were very close to taking him out in the fourth inning, but the good news is that he gathered himself."

In a season of Dice-K "firsts," this was perhaps the last first.

Go back in time. There was the first press conference. Then the first bullpen session, the first live batting practice, the first exhibition game against Boston College, the first Sports Illustrated cover, the first Nike commercial, the first major league game in Kansas City, the first Fenway game against Ichiro, the first Yankee game last Sunday.

Finally, the first game in Yankee Stadium.

He blanked the Yankees in five of his six innings and fanned Robinson Cano three times in three tries. He walked Hideki Matsui once, but got Godzilla on two fly outs. He threw 117 pitches, which is practically a day off for the man who loves to throw.

We've been hearing that Dice-K has already experienced all the pressure he will ever know. He won the prestigious Koshien tournament when he was in high school. He won the World Baseball Classic for a country that really cared about the tournament.

But maybe The House That Ruth Built was a little intimidating, after all. Maybe the monuments and the pinstripes and the God-like voice of Bob Sheppard and the muscle-flexing Yankee lineup were somewhat daunting for the 26-year-old righthander.