BOSTON // Daisuke Matsuzaka made a stunning return to Major League Baseball on Tuesday, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Making his first appearance after a three-month layoff for a shoulder injury, the Japanese pitcher showed no signs of rustiness as he struck out five batters in six innings. He easily won his duel with the in-form Angels pitcher John Lackey, who had given up one run in his last three games.
"In the last start I left amid boos, so to be able to come back and experience that today was very special as a ball player," said Matsuzaka, after picking up his second win of the year. In the opener of a three-game series between teams that could meet in the play-offs for the second consecutive year, the Red Sox went ahead in the sixth inning. A throwing error by Lackey allowed Alex Gonzalez to open the scoring. David Ortiz added an RBI single in the same inning and belted his 24th home run this season in the eighth to seal the win.
Tuesday's win was the sixth in a row for the Red Sox, who took a five-and-a-half game advantage in the American League (AL) wild card race. The Angels, who lead the AL West by six games, suffered their second loss in a row. "Having Dice-K [Matsuzaka] back and throwing the ball the way he can is huge for us, especially with us thinking about the play-offs right now," Ortiz said. An eighth-inning brawl marred the Toronto Blue Jays' 10-4 win against the New York Yankees.
Tempers flared at the Yankee Stadium, after New York's Jorge Posada and the Blue Jays' Jesse Carlson collided and then came to blows before being ejected. Elsewhere, the Kansas City Royals romped to an 11-1 win over AL Central rivals Detroit, the Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 while Oakland emerged 6-1 winners over the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox enjoyed a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
In the National League, Adam LaRoche hit two home runs as Atlanta beat the New York Mets 6-0 and Cliff Lee was the man in form for the Philadelphia Phillies, who beat the Washington Nationals 5-0. The Cincinnati Reds won a tight tussle over Houston 5-4 after Paul Janish hit three doubles and scored two runs. The Chicago Cubs had significantly more breathing space, beating Milwaukee 13-7. Dan Uggla's two-run homer helped the Florida Marlins beat the St Louis Rams 2-1.
Struggling Pittsburgh Pirates lost 5-4 to the NL West leaders Los Angeles Dodgers in 13 innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks were 4-2 winners against the San Diego Padres. * Reuters