Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets

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Royals News:

It took Joakim Soria about 48 hours to justify the Kansas City Royals' faith.

Two days after the Royals made him the second overall pick in the Major League phase Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets of the Rule 5 Draft, Soria pitched a perfect game in the Mexican Pacific League on Saturday night as the Yaquis de Obregon blanked the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, 6-0.

Soria already was dominating the winter circuit, leading all three pitching triple crown Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets categories (9-0, 1.77 ERA, 73 strikeouts). But the 22-year-old right-hander struck out nine and threw 101 pitches to remain unbeaten.

Soria tamed a lineup that included one current and one former big leaguer. Jerry Hairston Jr. batted leadoff for the Naranjeros and failed to get the ball out of the infield in three at-bats, while Geronimo Gil struck out and grounded out before leaving for a defensive Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets replacement.

Making his 11th start for the Yaquis, Soria struck out Braves prospect Ivan Terrazas and Jorge Luis Valle to begin the ninth inning. With the count full, he retired Alejandro Ahumada on a ground ball to third base on his Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets 101st pitch to finish off the third no-hitter in league history.

It was the first complete game of the season for Soria, who missed all of 2003 due to an injury. As a member of the Padres organization, he made seven relief appearances for Class A Fort Wayne in 2006 and went 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA. Before joining the Wizards, the 6-foot-2, Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets 170-pounder served as the closer for the Mexican League's Diablos Rojos and compiled 15 saves and a 3.89 ERA in 39 games.

When Kansas City selected Soria from San Diego on Thursday, Royals general manager Dayton Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets Moore raved about his repertoire.

"He throws three above-average pitches, and his mound presence was outstanding," Moore said. "Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets He was almost too good to be true when we saw him."

To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Kansas City released one-time top prospect Runelvys Hernandez.

"I think (Soria's) going to fit in Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets well with some of the young arms we have coming into the organization," Moore said. "I think he's got a chance, a year from now, to be mentioned in the same vein with some of our younger prospects. He could be that kinda guy for us."

Boston Red Sox News:

The offseason race for pitching is Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets on. The early leaders, in both spending and acquisitions, are a very familiar pair.

The Boston Red Sox have landed the rights to Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka with a $51.1 million bid, according to officials with the Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets Seibu Lions.

The appropriate response to any of those numbers can be summed up in Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets one word: Wow.

When you consider that, in a similar situation, the Seattle Mariners paid a little more than $13 million for the rights to negotiate with Ichiro Suzuki, you get Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets an idea of how pricey Matsuzaka has become. And this bid only pays the Seibu Lions, Matsuzaka's Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets current employers, for his rights. Now comes the fun part, negotiating a contract with Matsuzaka's agent, Scott Boras.

By the time this is over, Matsuzaka's total price, for a four-year contract, for instance, could be in the $90 to $100 million range. On the other hand, he Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets throws with both power and command, he is only 26, his record in Japan was beyond question, and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the inaugural World Baseball Classic after leading Japan to victory in the tournament.

You can argue that he has never thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues, but enough Japanese stars have made successful transitions to American baseball that we should have learned by now that achievements in Japanese baseball require respect rather Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets than cynicism.

But what helped to drive up Matsuzaka's price was a good, old-fashioned Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets American rivalry. Among the other bidders in the Matsuzaka sweepstakes were the New York Yankees. The Red Sox, who have Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets been outspent before by the Yankees in bidding wars, were obviously taking no chances this time.

The Yankees may Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets have been outbid for Matsuzaka, but they are already on the board in the winter race for more pitching, a competition in which demand always exceeds supply.

On the surface, the Yankees were maneuvering against their typical form when they traded an Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets established player, Gary Sheffield, for three pitching prospects. But the circumstances, and the pitching, made the move completely logical.