FELIX HERNANDEZ

A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Hernandez shuts down the Red Sox batters

April 11, 2007 ... Seattle right-hander Felix Hernandez, a Venezuelan prodigy three days past his 21st birthday, upstaged Dice-K, Ichiro, Johjima, Mitsubishi, sushi, and anything else Japanese at Fenway Park with a one-hit, 3-0 mastery of Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox. The Sox lineup was held without a hit until J.D. Drew grounded a single just past Hernandez's glove and into center field to open the eighth.

There has been just one no-hitter thrown against the Red Sox in Fenway Park in the last 81 years. That was Detroit's Jim Bunning, before he became a senator, who retired Ted Williams on a fly ball to right field for the last out of his no-hitter July 20, 1958, in the first game of a doubleheader.

Hernandez, who was in the viewfinder of roughly 36,630 fewer cameras than Matsuzaka was when he faced Ichiro Suzuki to start the game, was six outs away from joining Bunning until Drew hit safely. He had to settle for becoming the first Sox opponent to throw a one-hitter here since Carl Everett broke up Mike Mussina's perfect-game bid for the Yankees with two outs in the ninth inning Sept. 2, 2001.  Hernandez set down the last six Sox batters in order to match Mussina's feat, striking out Kevin Youkilis on a wicked breaking ball to send a stunned gathering of 36,630 home after a mere 2 hours 22 minutes.

Matsuzaka, in the much-ballyhooed duel between the Monster and Heavenly Talent (Suzuki), won his personal mano-a-mano between Japanese icons, retiring the Mariners' leadoff man all four times he faced him, a comebacker to the mound in the first, fly ball to center in the third, strikeout in the fifth, and force play in the seventh. For the record, Matsuzaka's first pitch to Ichiro was a curveball, a choice of pitches challenged by Japanese reporters who suggested that a fastball would have been a more honorable selection.

But Matsuzaka was no match on this night for Hernandez, who as early as March 2005 was pegged as the best pitching prospect in the game by Baseball America. Francona, while addressing the hype surrounding Matsuzaka, had been warning for two days that the Sox would have their hands full with Hernandez, who April 2 in Seattle had struck out 12 against Oakland, the first Opening Day starter to fan at least a dozen without allowing a run since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson did it for the Cardinals in 1967.

Matsuzaka was touched for a run in the second, when Jose Guillen lined a single on a 3-and-0 pitch, took third on a double by Kenji Johjima, the Mariners' catcher who hit Matsuzaka with some success (32 for 118) in Japan, and scored on Yuniesky Betancourt's sacrifice fly to left, just beating a strong throw from Manny Ramirez.

Matsuzaka retired nine of the next 10 batters - Guillen was the only one to reach, when he was struck by a Matsuzaka fastball on his left elbow - until Lopez singled with one out in the fifth. Matsuzaka fanned Ichiro on a splitter in the dirt for the second out, but Adrian Beltre rifled a double into the left-center-field gap to score Lopez, moved up to third when the relay from Pedroia skipped away, and scored on Jose Vidro's single.  Matsuzaka left after seven innings and 103 pitches, having been touched for eight hits and a walk. He struck out four.  On Ichiro's last at-bat, in the seventh, he had to duck out of the way of an up-and-in Matsuzaka fastball.

There were no accidents for Hernandez, who went special delivery on a night that Matsuzaka was regular mail. His best pitch of the night may have been the 97-mile-per-hour fastball on the black that Ramirez looked at for a called third strike to end the seventh.

Johnny Pesky was sitting in his familiar corner of the clubhouse yesterday afternoon, just inside the door. And while he tried to make light of the fact that he is now barred by Major League Baseball directive from sitting in the, he also made it clear he didn't understand the rationale behind the decision.  Pesky said there will be times he'll watch the game from the Legends Suite.

Francona said lefthander Jon Lester touched 93 miles per hour in another impressive rehab start for Single A Greenville Tuesday night, one in which he pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out five.

Right-handed pitcher J.D. Durbin, just claimed off waivers from Arizona, has been designated for assignment. The Sox hope he clears waivers so he can be assigned to a minor league team.

Yoichi Suzuki, the Consul General of Japan in Boston, threw out the first pitch. 

Mike Timlin said his shoulder is considerably stronger than it was last season, when he wound up going on the disabled list with a shoulder strain. While he pitched just 2 1/3 innings in the World Baseball Classic last spring, Timlin said the tournament did contribute to his shoulder woes.