TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- It's too early to say it's the sophomore jinx, but for the second day in a row, last season's Rookie of the Year couldn't win a 2000 season opener.
Second-year hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Seibu Lions against Nippon Ham on Saturday at the Seibu Dome as the Pacific League began its new season. However, the 19-year-old right hander, who notched a league-best 16 wins on his way to being named the PL's top rookie last season, gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and left the game after the seventh inning.
The Lions still managed to beat the Fighters 6-5 in 10 innings before the 40,000 home-field crowd, but it was not Matsuzaka who led the team to victory. A day earlier, Central League fellow-Rookie of the Year Koji Uehara of the Yomiuri Giants took the loss when he surrendered four runs to the Hiroshima Carp.