Dice-K

On August 17 the Red Sox were 1.5 games behind the Yankees. Two weeks later they were 8 games behind. By September the Sox were 6.5 games out of the wild card playoff spot, and for Red Sox fans, the season was over. The powerbrokers in the Red Sox organization knew this poor performance could not be repeated and vowed to do something bold. They offered a record-setting bid of $51.1 million to gain the rights to negotiate with international pitching sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka. Veteran Red Sox beatwriter Ian Browne tells the story of the unprecidented quest by Boston to land Matsuzaka. With less than 48 hours remaining until the deadline, Red Sox executives boarded a private jet in Southern California, and asked the Japanese right-hander to return to Boston with them to close the deal. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when "Dice-K" stepped on board and unleashed his trademark smile. In total, the Red Sox invested $103.1 million in the young Japanese star. Browne gives viewers a front-row seat to every step of Matsuzaka's first Major League season. Though there were bumps in the road, Matsuzaka ended 2007 with a clutch performance in Game 3 of the World Series against the Rockies. And Year One ended with Matsuzaka soaking in the euphoria of a World Series paradeBrowne, Ian is the author of 'Dice-K', published 2008 under ISBN 9781599213477 and ISBN 1599213478.