Pair of Aces

News today on two pitchers who seem destined to face each other in a critical game sometime in the next three years:

Phil Hughes, the 20-year old pitching phenom for the Yankees opened some eyes today in Tampa. In the New York Times' bats blog, catcher Ben Davis said to Tyler Kepner:

“Hughes is just special. I’m not mocking anyone on the team; I’m just saying the way the ball comes out of his hand is different than the way it comes out of other people’s hands. I mean, his fastball explodes and his curveball is devastating. That’s the only word I can say: devastating.

“The four-seam fastball away is pretty much your only shot. You miss it, you’re done. He’s got that kind of stuff. The ball just gets on you. I know what’s coming as a catcher back there, and it still surprises me how much it gets on you. He’s definitely blessed.”

Over in Ft. Myers, Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 103 pitches in his bullpen session in front of just about everyone in the Red Sox front office. That may sound like a lot for Feb. 22, but it is nothing compared to the 200 pitches he said he threw in preseason sessions in Japan. Yikes.