A few rumors out of Boston point to star Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka possibly missing the rest of the 2009 baseball season. While sources near the Red Sox deny those rumors, there is certainly smoke even if there is no fire.
In a recent interview, Matsuzaka didn’t exactly stomp out the rumors of him being done for the season.
“If I keep going like this I’m just going to be a burden to this team,” said Matsuzaka to the Boston Herald, “and there’s no way I can keep going like that.”
Currently, Matsuzaka is on the disabled list with weakness in his pitching …read more

Japan won the initial World Baseball Classic in 2006. On Monday, they will try to win the 2009 World Baseball Classic after defeating the United States on Sunday night by a final score of 9-4 to advance to the championship game.
The night started off well for the U.S. as they scored in the top of the first inning. After Japan tied it at one, the United States went up 2-1 on a David Wright RBI double in the third inning.
However, the wheels came off for the U.S. in the bottom of the fourth. Facing starter Roy Oswalt, Japan scored five …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox drew first blood in their respective championship series. The Phillies topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5, while the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0.
In the National League affair, the Phillies got off to an early lead and held on late as they won in front of their home fans. The hitting stars were outfielder Shane Victorino and pitcher Brett Myers. In fact, Myers was much better with the bat than he was with the ball as he went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs. On the mound, he gave up …read more

5) Mike Mussina, New York Yankees
Although he doesn’t have a legitimate chance to win the award, Mike Mussina has pitched well enough in 2008 to be an American League Cy Young favorite. While many Yankee fans were ready to bury him coming into the season, Mussina responded with a vintage season. He currently has an ERA of 3.57 to go with a record of 18-9.
4) Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
Another year, another Roy Halladay great season. Perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the entire major leagues, Halladay currently has a 2.81 ERA and a 19-11 record. It took the Blue …read more