Boston puts hope in struggling Dice-K

BOSTON – Dice-K never pitched in a game this big.

The $103 million pitcher takes the mound for Boston tonight in Game 7 against Cleveland and Jake Westbrook, with the Red Sox trying to cap their comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the A.L. Championship Series.

Daisuke Matsuzaka starred in big games in Japan, even pitched a no-hitter in his national high school championship game. Now he can pitch the Red Sox back into the World Series.

“I’m going into tomorrow very excited,” he said through a translator after Boston’s 12-2 win in Game 6 Saturday night.

Matsuzaka was a sensation at the start of the season after the Red Sox spent $51,111,111 to acquire his rights from the Seibu Lions, then signed him to a $52 million six-year contract. But he faded late and lasted just 4 2/3 innings in each of his two postseason starts: a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of the A.L. division series and a 4-2 loss in Game 3 against the Indians and Westbrook.

“I haven’t seen him come up small in a huge game yet in his career,” Curt Schilling said after getting the Game 6 win. “I believe, based on his makeup, based on his demeanor tonight, he’s going to do something special.”

Westbrook got Cleveland’s only loss as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 3-1 in the first round.

Matsuzaka was still staring into his locker more than an hour after his Game 3 loss, barely moving except to clasp his fingers behind his neck and cup his chin in his left hand.

“Whether or not we had won or lost, immediately following the game is a very important time period for me,” he said. “Although I might have appeared very upset, I wasn’t as upset as everybody thought.”

His late-season struggles have him on a short leash should he falter in Game 7. Josh Beckett would likely relieve on short rest.

The Red Sox had the option of using knuckleballer Tim Wakefield on his usual four days’ rest, even though he lost Game 4 on Tuesday when he gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings. But they chose to stick with their usual rotation.