Petey Arms
03-27-2007, 12:15 PM
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Despite highly descriptive news reports, slow motion video and purported eyewitness accounts from major league hitters -- well, the Florida Marlins' scrubs -- Red Sox pitching sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka does not throw a gyroball , G. Gordon Grinch of the North Pole news bureau of SI has learned. Several sources close to Matsuzaka -- and you can't get much closer to Matsuzaka than Matsuzaka himself -- confirmed to Mr. Grinch that Matsuzaka's gyroball is nothing more than media mythology, a promulgation the pitcher delightfully enjoys .
Repeated attempts to reach the Easter Bunny, the Loch Ness monster, the tooth fairy and a Chicago Cubs world champion for comment were unsuccessful.
Seriously, I know the gyroball is a cool, real concept and Matsuzaka already has this air of mystery about him that invites possibility and that everybody likes a good story, but enough already. A Marlin by the name of Jason Stokes, after facing Matsuzaka in a spring training game, pumped the legend of the demon pitch when he announced in wonderment, "I saw the gyroball." He did stop short of saying it emitted a beam of light that transported him into a flying saucer, where his innards were removed bloodlessly before he was returned to the batter's box.
Here's the truth: Matsuzaka's changeup is so wicked, so unlike most every changeup anyone has seen, that people don't know what to make of it. Matsuzaka has told me he does not throw the gyroball. Every Red Sox staff member and official I've talked with said he does not throw it.
"What the Marlins thought was the gyro was the changeup," one of the Boston sources said. "That's what people think is the gyro. It's his best pitch."
Said another Red Sox insider, "Japan is famous for copious scouting reports. If you throw a pitch once in your life the scout will include it in the report. Dice-K enjoys letting people think he throws it. There's no harm in it. Why not just give them one more thing to think about?"
Matsuzaka throws his changeup with a screwball action to it, including a bigger break than most such offspeed pitches. He also throws a harder two-seamer pitch with some sinking action and a slight left-to-right break -- the shuuto, which essentially is Japan's improved version of that two-seam fastball Greg Maddux starts at the hip of left-handed hitters and runs back over the inside corner.
Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine, describing the shuuto in an e-mail, wrote, "It will not be as fast as a four-seam [fastball] but will move into a right-handed hitter, if thrown by a right handed pitcher. It has action that is opposite of a cutter. Very common here."
Is Matsuzaka's fastball a tad straight? Sure, but that's not a problem when you can command it the way Matsuzaka does and when you use your breaking pitches to set up your fastball, rather than the American methodology of doing the opposite. Matsuzaka already has had conversations with catcher Jason Varitek about wanting to establish all of his pitches early in a game. What makes him especially difficult to solve is that he can break two pitches into a right-handed hitter at different speeds (changeup and shuuto) and three pitches (slider, cutter and curve) away from the right-hander at different speeds. He also has a nasty, downward-breaking splitter.
"He's going to be very tough, especially the first time people see him," said one AL executive. "His first three [scheduled] starts are against Kansas City, Seattle and the Angels -- three of the most aggressive swinging teams in the league. Look out. You might see some big strikeout games right away."
Wrote Valentine, "He is very confident, and he will get hit and it all depends on how he reacts ... I think he is made of the right stuff and will learn from his mistakes. He likes the big stage. I'd say 15 wins if he has a good bullpen. He will have a few really good games."
See, Matsuzaka's repertoire is so diverse and his talent so real that he does not need embellishment. You want more of the truth? It doesn't get any better than hearing from the man himself. I found Matsuzaka to be a thoughtful, articulate man when I interviewed him (with the assistance of an interpreter) before spring training began for the cover story of the SI Baseball Preview issue. On several occasions after a question was translated Matsuzaka would close his eyes or look upward and go, "Hmmmm." You could see him give careful consideration to the questions, rather than just spitting back stock answers. Here are excerpts of my exclusive interview with Matsuzaka, portions of which have been edited for length and clarity.
SI: Didn't you begin playing baseball as an outfielder?
DM: Yes. Up through 10th grade. Up until that year I played both pitcher and outfield. Starting in 11th grade I converted to pitcher.
SI: Was that your choice?
DM: Initially I wanted to make it as a professional baseball player as a hitter. The fact that the team had sort of ran out of pitchers might have had something to do with [converting].
SI: You have a slight turn in your delivery away from the hitter, which American coaches do not teach. Why?
DM: I initially had a tendency to open up my shoulder too much. To compensate for that I developed that pitching form and that's what stuck. The more I rotate my body, if I do it too much it takes a long time to turn around. I'm very conscious of not overdoing my shoulder turn.
SI: The Japanese concept of maximum training effort, doryoku, seems very different from American training.
DM: Doryoku, doryoku ... hmm .. I've never been one to sort of say self-congratulatingly I worked very hard. Doryoku just means practice, and to me that's self evident. You practice. Instead of looking at it from a perspective of maximum effort, I've had a goal in mind and it's practice toward that goal which is most important.
I'm wondering out loud what the outside image is of the concept of doryoku -- if that simply doesn't exist in America or is similar but different. If there's something you can't do, if there's a skill you don't have, it's natural to do what it takes to strive to that point. But that's a highly personal thing. If you ask other Japanese players you might get a different response each time. There are people who are very stoic and focused on maximum effort every time.
SI: You said you have "a goal in mind." What is it?
DM: Ultimately baseball is a team sport. For me the ultimate goal was to win the Japan series and become national champions. As part of that large objective there are many small goals that need to be accomplished. The one goal, of course, is to win the championship. But in the context of that overarching one there are many, many more to get there.
SI: What was your between-starts routine in Japan?
DM: In the typical five days between I would play light catch the next day [after the start], Day 2 was a day off, Day 3 I would do long toss, Day 4 or 5 I would throw one bullpen session. If my pitch count was low on any given start I may do one abbreviated [bullpen] session on day 1.
SI: In the WBC championship game against Cuba you gave up a home run in the bottom of the first and then really locked down the game. Was that a good example of your competitiveness?
DM: That was the first batter in the bottom of the first. We had established a four-run lead. Given the [tournament] limitations on the pitch count, I went in sort of relaxed, without a sense of urgency. I came in with the thinking to let them hit into outs and keep my pitch count down. As soon as they hit the home run, I knew that philosophy is not going to work. I have to play aggressively.
SI: Do you anticipate any difficulty getting used to the major league baseball, which is slightly larger and has bigger seams?
DM: When I played in the WBC last year we played with the major league ball. We practiced for about three months prior to the WBC with it. At that time it was a difficult adjustment. Having gone through it, I see no problem.
The leather quality is different. The Japanese quality was something that I had gotten used to. On that level, there is just a little bit of difference. The Japanese ball may be easier to get movement. As I get used to [the major league ball] there may be more of a chance to get more movement on the ball.
SI: How do you like to spend time when you are not playing baseball?
DM: I enjoy playing golf. On the off days it's easier playing golf or spending time with the family, or going for a drive.
Repeated attempts to reach the Easter Bunny, the Loch Ness monster, the tooth fairy and a Chicago Cubs world champion for comment were unsuccessful.
Seriously, I know the gyroball is a cool, real concept and Matsuzaka already has this air of mystery about him that invites possibility and that everybody likes a good story, but enough already. A Marlin by the name of Jason Stokes, after facing Matsuzaka in a spring training game, pumped the legend of the demon pitch when he announced in wonderment, "I saw the gyroball." He did stop short of saying it emitted a beam of light that transported him into a flying saucer, where his innards were removed bloodlessly before he was returned to the batter's box.
Here's the truth: Matsuzaka's changeup is so wicked, so unlike most every changeup anyone has seen, that people don't know what to make of it. Matsuzaka has told me he does not throw the gyroball. Every Red Sox staff member and official I've talked with said he does not throw it.
"What the Marlins thought was the gyro was the changeup," one of the Boston sources said. "That's what people think is the gyro. It's his best pitch."
Said another Red Sox insider, "Japan is famous for copious scouting reports. If you throw a pitch once in your life the scout will include it in the report. Dice-K enjoys letting people think he throws it. There's no harm in it. Why not just give them one more thing to think about?"
Matsuzaka throws his changeup with a screwball action to it, including a bigger break than most such offspeed pitches. He also throws a harder two-seamer pitch with some sinking action and a slight left-to-right break -- the shuuto, which essentially is Japan's improved version of that two-seam fastball Greg Maddux starts at the hip of left-handed hitters and runs back over the inside corner.
Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine, describing the shuuto in an e-mail, wrote, "It will not be as fast as a four-seam [fastball] but will move into a right-handed hitter, if thrown by a right handed pitcher. It has action that is opposite of a cutter. Very common here."
Is Matsuzaka's fastball a tad straight? Sure, but that's not a problem when you can command it the way Matsuzaka does and when you use your breaking pitches to set up your fastball, rather than the American methodology of doing the opposite. Matsuzaka already has had conversations with catcher Jason Varitek about wanting to establish all of his pitches early in a game. What makes him especially difficult to solve is that he can break two pitches into a right-handed hitter at different speeds (changeup and shuuto) and three pitches (slider, cutter and curve) away from the right-hander at different speeds. He also has a nasty, downward-breaking splitter.
"He's going to be very tough, especially the first time people see him," said one AL executive. "His first three [scheduled] starts are against Kansas City, Seattle and the Angels -- three of the most aggressive swinging teams in the league. Look out. You might see some big strikeout games right away."
Wrote Valentine, "He is very confident, and he will get hit and it all depends on how he reacts ... I think he is made of the right stuff and will learn from his mistakes. He likes the big stage. I'd say 15 wins if he has a good bullpen. He will have a few really good games."
See, Matsuzaka's repertoire is so diverse and his talent so real that he does not need embellishment. You want more of the truth? It doesn't get any better than hearing from the man himself. I found Matsuzaka to be a thoughtful, articulate man when I interviewed him (with the assistance of an interpreter) before spring training began for the cover story of the SI Baseball Preview issue. On several occasions after a question was translated Matsuzaka would close his eyes or look upward and go, "Hmmmm." You could see him give careful consideration to the questions, rather than just spitting back stock answers. Here are excerpts of my exclusive interview with Matsuzaka, portions of which have been edited for length and clarity.
SI: Didn't you begin playing baseball as an outfielder?
DM: Yes. Up through 10th grade. Up until that year I played both pitcher and outfield. Starting in 11th grade I converted to pitcher.
SI: Was that your choice?
DM: Initially I wanted to make it as a professional baseball player as a hitter. The fact that the team had sort of ran out of pitchers might have had something to do with [converting].
SI: You have a slight turn in your delivery away from the hitter, which American coaches do not teach. Why?
DM: I initially had a tendency to open up my shoulder too much. To compensate for that I developed that pitching form and that's what stuck. The more I rotate my body, if I do it too much it takes a long time to turn around. I'm very conscious of not overdoing my shoulder turn.
SI: The Japanese concept of maximum training effort, doryoku, seems very different from American training.
DM: Doryoku, doryoku ... hmm .. I've never been one to sort of say self-congratulatingly I worked very hard. Doryoku just means practice, and to me that's self evident. You practice. Instead of looking at it from a perspective of maximum effort, I've had a goal in mind and it's practice toward that goal which is most important.
I'm wondering out loud what the outside image is of the concept of doryoku -- if that simply doesn't exist in America or is similar but different. If there's something you can't do, if there's a skill you don't have, it's natural to do what it takes to strive to that point. But that's a highly personal thing. If you ask other Japanese players you might get a different response each time. There are people who are very stoic and focused on maximum effort every time.
SI: You said you have "a goal in mind." What is it?
DM: Ultimately baseball is a team sport. For me the ultimate goal was to win the Japan series and become national champions. As part of that large objective there are many small goals that need to be accomplished. The one goal, of course, is to win the championship. But in the context of that overarching one there are many, many more to get there.
SI: What was your between-starts routine in Japan?
DM: In the typical five days between I would play light catch the next day [after the start], Day 2 was a day off, Day 3 I would do long toss, Day 4 or 5 I would throw one bullpen session. If my pitch count was low on any given start I may do one abbreviated [bullpen] session on day 1.
SI: In the WBC championship game against Cuba you gave up a home run in the bottom of the first and then really locked down the game. Was that a good example of your competitiveness?
DM: That was the first batter in the bottom of the first. We had established a four-run lead. Given the [tournament] limitations on the pitch count, I went in sort of relaxed, without a sense of urgency. I came in with the thinking to let them hit into outs and keep my pitch count down. As soon as they hit the home run, I knew that philosophy is not going to work. I have to play aggressively.
SI: Do you anticipate any difficulty getting used to the major league baseball, which is slightly larger and has bigger seams?
DM: When I played in the WBC last year we played with the major league ball. We practiced for about three months prior to the WBC with it. At that time it was a difficult adjustment. Having gone through it, I see no problem.
The leather quality is different. The Japanese quality was something that I had gotten used to. On that level, there is just a little bit of difference. The Japanese ball may be easier to get movement. As I get used to [the major league ball] there may be more of a chance to get more movement on the ball.
SI: How do you like to spend time when you are not playing baseball?
DM: I enjoy playing golf. On the off days it's easier playing golf or spending time with the family, or going for a drive.