Good economical indicators

Only with him could the relatively ordinary be such a cause for celebration.

"I'm impressed myself that I got through five innings," Matsuzaka said with a somewhat mischievous grin.

Said pitching coach John Farrell, "Seventy-five pitches through five innings was ideally what we were hoping to get to."

So there you have it. Matsuzaka's spring in Florida was, in a word, ideal.

And now it is over, too.

Internationally regarded as a man who has done more for the WBC than Don King - two tournaments, two MVPs for the undisputed champ - Matsuzaka now has one preseason outing remaining, April 4 against the Mets at Citi Field in New York. After that, it's on to Fenway for his regular-season debut against the Tampa Bay Rays April 9. By then, Matsuzaka will have pitched in Tokyo, San Diego, Los Angeles, Kissimmee, New York, and Boston, after which the Red Sox will travel back to the West Coast.

His projected opponent there: Oakland.

Talk about time travel.

What will the Red Sox get from Matsuzaka along the way? Impossible to say. Even Farrell acknowledges that the impact of the WBC may not be known for some time, though the good news is that Matsuzaka looks stronger and thicker than he did during his first two years in Boston.

"I don't know if you ever get a true read on that until you get into the season," Farrell said when asked if Matsuzaka is beyond any effects of the WBC. "Our [other] starters have been here since Day 1 in camp. They've gotten a regular five-day routine with the usual physical peaks and valleys they're going to go through.

"Time will tell on that one. Most importantly, he threw the ball free and easy. There [were] no physical ailments of any kind. It will be good for him to get back with us on a regular basis and get back to a routine.

"Even by our objective testing, he's come into camp this spring with better percentages, whether it's body composition, overall strengthening. He's strong. If we didn't have that data, we wouldn't comment on it as positively as we do. Part of it is [Matsuzaka] learning what the physical needs are here in the States as we go."