NEW YORK -- Miguel Cabrera and the hard-hitting Tigers were too much for Daisuke Matsuzaka in his return to the majors. Boston Bruins Pro Shop . Cabrera hit a three-run homer, Torii Hunter also connected and Detroit tagged Matsuzaka early in his Mets debut to beat New York 6-1 on Friday night. "When I used to catch him in Boston, he had a little more on it," Tigers slugger Victor Martinez said. "Today I think his ball was pretty straight. He left a few pitches up in the zone, and the big guys didnt miss." Hunter added a long RBI double and Doug Fister (11-6) pitched into the seventh inning to help Detroit win the interleague series opener. Austin Jackson went deep for the second straight day for the AL Central leaders, back in New York after dropping two of three at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago. The series resumes Saturday afternoon with a rematch of All-Star game starters at Citi Field: Max Scherzer puts his 18-1 record on the line against New York ace Matt Harvey in a nationally televised game. "You cant beat that matchup," Hunter said. "If you blink youre going to miss something." The Mets said its the first time All-Star game starters will square off in a regular-season game during the same season, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau. "I figure this place will be hopping pretty good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "It should be fun." Minus two injured starters, the Mets signed Matsuzaka on Thursday to fill a hole in the rotation and immediately handed him a difficult assignment. Led by Cabrera and Prince Fielder, the Tigers began the night leading the majors in batting average and second in runs. The right-hander from Japan, a former Red Sox star who had been pitching in Clevelands farm system, got off to a promising start. Working on three days rest and wearing No. 16, he threw a called third strike past Jackson and was ahead 0-2 on Hunter when the five-time All-Star sent a booming drive far beyond the left-field fence. Cabrera and Fielder followed with singles, but Dice-K prevented further damage. He wasnt as fortunate in the second. Omar Infante led off with an infield single and Jackson walked with two outs. Hunter hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the 408 sign in straightaway centre field to put the Tigers up 2-1. Cabrera crushed the next pitch, a 91 mph fastball that he sent soaring just inside the left-field foul pole for his 41st home run. "I was thinking about how I wanted to pitch him from before the game, but it was hard to figure it out until you face him," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I dont think it was a bad pitch, but he hit a home run off it." Chasing his second consecutive AL Triple Crown, Cabrera has comfortable leads in batting average and RBIs. He moved within five home runs of Baltimore slugger Chris Davis. "Its just unbelievable," Fister said, then changed his tune. "Its no longer unbelievable. Its definitely believable, and hes doing it for a long time in a row now." Working with rookie Travis dArnaud, catching his fifth major league game, Matsuzaka settled in from there and did not allow another baserunner. He retired his final 10 batters and was charged with five runs on six hits over five innings. "I thought the last three innings he was very, very good," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "The arm issues have caused his velocity to go down a little bit. But I tell you what, his breaking stuff is still very good. I was happy with the way he finished up." Jackson added a solo shot in the seventh off reliever Carlos Torres, originally scheduled to start the game before the Mets signed Matsuzaka (0-1) for the remainder of this season. The Red Sox shelled out more than $100 million to import Matsuzaka in 2007. He won 33 games and a World Series ring during his first two years in the majors, but injuries and poor performances followed. He had Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in 2011. Matsuzaka went 1-7 with an 8.28 ERA in 11 starts for Boston last season and was beaten out by Scott Kazmir for the final spot in Clevelands rotation this spring. The 32-year-old pitcher agreed to go to Triple-A Columbus, where he was 5-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts. After working through early season injuries, Matsuzaka had been effective in recent weeks. He was granted his release by the Indians on Tuesday, and the third-place Mets decided he was their best option to fill a void the rest of the way. "I just kind of studied his old video and went off that," Hunter said. Fister gave up only an RBI single to Marlon Byrd in the first. The big right-hander induced two double plays and allowed eight hits in 6 1-3 innings before three relievers finished up. NOTES: Martinez, normally a DH, made his first start at catcher for Detroit since Aug. 4, 2011. "It felt great all-around," he said. ... The Tigers said C Alex Avila left his rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Toledo after three innings due to dizziness. Avila is on the disabled list with concussion symptoms. ... Fister was 0-1 in his previous three starts after winning four in a row. ... Collins said he wears No. 10 in grateful tribute to Leyland and credited the Detroit skipper with being a mentor. Leyland gave Collins his first big league coaching job in 1992 with Pittsburgh. Boston Bruins Gear . 22. Wade averaged 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals while leading the Heat to a 3-0 record. The 31-year-old shot 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range en route to his 17th weekly honor. Bruins Jerseys 2019 . They named Mark Washington as their defensive co-ordinator on Thursday and appear to be closing in on an offensive co-ordinator.SOUTHAMPTON, England - Barely two weeks after helping Canadas hockey team win a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics, Ralph Krueger has been hired as chairman of English Premier League club Southampton. Krueger played professional ice hockey in Germany before coaching Switzerlands national team and the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL. He was a consultant with Canadas mens team in Sochi. Known for his skills as a motivational speaker, the 54-year-oold Krueger joins Southamptons reshaped management structure and fills the hole left by the departure of Nicola Cortese as Southamptons executive chairman in January. Boston Bruins Shirts. Krueger, who has been a member of the World Economic Forum since 2011, says in a Southampton statement released Wednesday that "although there is a solid foundation in place, the club still has tremendous untapped commercial potential." ' ' '
NEW YORK -- Miguel Cabrera and the hard-hitting Tigers were too much for Daisuke Matsuzaka in his return to the majors. Boston Bruins Pro Shop . Cabrera hit a three-run homer, Torii Hunter also connected and Detroit tagged Matsuzaka early in his Mets debut to beat New York 6-1 on Friday night. "When I used to catch him in Boston, he had a little more on it," Tigers slugger Victor Martinez said. "Today I think his ball was pretty straight. He left a few pitches up in the zone, and the big guys didnt miss." Hunter added a long RBI double and Doug Fister (11-6) pitched into the seventh inning to help Detroit win the interleague series opener. Austin Jackson went deep for the second straight day for the AL Central leaders, back in New York after dropping two of three at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago. The series resumes Saturday afternoon with a rematch of All-Star game starters at Citi Field: Max Scherzer puts his 18-1 record on the line against New York ace Matt Harvey in a nationally televised game. "You cant beat that matchup," Hunter said. "If you blink youre going to miss something." The Mets said its the first time All-Star game starters will square off in a regular-season game during the same season, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau. "I figure this place will be hopping pretty good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "It should be fun." Minus two injured starters, the Mets signed Matsuzaka on Thursday to fill a hole in the rotation and immediately handed him a difficult assignment. Led by Cabrera and Prince Fielder, the Tigers began the night leading the majors in batting average and second in runs. The right-hander from Japan, a former Red Sox star who had been pitching in Clevelands farm system, got off to a promising start. Working on three days rest and wearing No. 16, he threw a called third strike past Jackson and was ahead 0-2 on Hunter when the five-time All-Star sent a booming drive far beyond the left-field fence. Cabrera and Fielder followed with singles, but Dice-K prevented further damage. He wasnt as fortunate in the second. Omar Infante led off with an infield single and Jackson walked with two outs. Hunter hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the 408 sign in straightaway centre field to put the Tigers up 2-1. Cabrera crushed the next pitch, a 91 mph fastball that he sent soaring just inside the left-field foul pole for his 41st home run. "I was thinking about how I wanted to pitch him from before the game, but it was hard to figure it out until you face him," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "I dont think it was a bad pitch, but he hit a home run off it." Chasing his second consecutive AL Triple Crown, Cabrera has comfortable leads in batting average and RBIs. He moved within five home runs of Baltimore slugger Chris Davis. "Its just unbelievable," Fister said, then changed his tune. "Its no longer unbelievable. Its definitely believable, and hes doing it for a long time in a row now." Working with rookie Travis dArnaud, catching his fifth major league game, Matsuzaka settled in from there and did not allow another baserunner. He retired his final 10 batters and was charged with five runs on six hits over five innings. "I thought the last three innings he was very, very good," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "The arm issues have caused his velocity to go down a little bit. But I tell you what, his breaking stuff is still very good. I was happy with the way he finished up." Jackson added a solo shot in the seventh off reliever Carlos Torres, originally scheduled to start the game before the Mets signed Matsuzaka (0-1) for the remainder of this season. The Red Sox shelled out more than $100 million to import Matsuzaka in 2007. He won 33 games and a World Series ring during his first two years in the majors, but injuries and poor performances followed. He had Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in 2011. Matsuzaka went 1-7 with an 8.28 ERA in 11 starts for Boston last season and was beaten out by Scott Kazmir for the final spot in Clevelands rotation this spring. The 32-year-old pitcher agreed to go to Triple-A Columbus, where he was 5-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts. After working through early season injuries, Matsuzaka had been effective in recent weeks. He was granted his release by the Indians on Tuesday, and the third-place Mets decided he was their best option to fill a void the rest of the way. "I just kind of studied his old video and went off that," Hunter said. Fister gave up only an RBI single to Marlon Byrd in the first. The big right-hander induced two double plays and allowed eight hits in 6 1-3 innings before three relievers finished up. NOTES: Martinez, normally a DH, made his first start at catcher for Detroit since Aug. 4, 2011. "It felt great all-around," he said. ... The Tigers said C Alex Avila left his rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Toledo after three innings due to dizziness. Avila is on the disabled list with concussion symptoms. ... Fister was 0-1 in his previous three starts after winning four in a row. ... Collins said he wears No. 10 in grateful tribute to Leyland and credited the Detroit skipper with being a mentor. Leyland gave Collins his first big league coaching job in 1992 with Pittsburgh. Boston Bruins Gear . 22. Wade averaged 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals while leading the Heat to a 3-0 record. The 31-year-old shot 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range en route to his 17th weekly honor. Bruins Jerseys 2019 . They named Mark Washington as their defensive co-ordinator on Thursday and appear to be closing in on an offensive co-ordinator.SOUTHAMPTON, England - Barely two weeks after helping Canadas hockey team win a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics, Ralph Krueger has been hired as chairman of English Premier League club Southampton. Krueger played professional ice hockey in Germany before coaching Switzerlands national team and the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL. He was a consultant with Canadas mens team in Sochi. Known for his skills as a motivational speaker, the 54-year-oold Krueger joins Southamptons reshaped management structure and fills the hole left by the departure of Nicola Cortese as Southamptons executive chairman in January. Boston Bruins Shirts. Krueger, who has been a member of the World Economic Forum since 2011, says in a Southampton statement released Wednesday that "although there is a solid foundation in place, the club still has tremendous untapped commercial potential." ' ' '
