Matsuzaka pitches Red Sox to victory in first game

Boston: Daisuke 'Dice-K' Matsuzaka made a stunning return to Major League Baseball on Tuesday, the Japanese pitcher leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Making his first appearance following a three-month layoff for a shoulder injury, Matsuzaka showed no signs of rustiness as he struck out five batters in six innings.

He easily won his duel with in-form Angels pitcher John Lackey, who had given up one earned run in his last three games.

"In the last start I left amidst boos, so to be able to come back and experience that today was something very special as a ballplayer," Matsuzaka told reporters after picking up just his second win of the year in his first outing since June 19.

"I didn't want to leave in the middle of an inning, but I'm very grateful for the fans' response today."

In the opener of a three-game series between teams that could meet in the playoffs for the second straight year, the Red Sox forged ahead in the sixth inning.

A throwing error by Lackey allowed Alex Gonzalez to open the scoring and David Ortiz added an RBI single in the inning and belted his 24th home run this season in the eighth to seal the victory.

Tuesday's win was the sixth in a row for the Red Sox (85-58). The Angels (86-58), who lead the AL West by six games, suffered their second straight loss.

Lackey went 7 2/3 innings but received only a run of support when Erick Aybar hit an RBI double against closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.

The Los Angeles offense had just three hits against Matsuzaka, who appeared to return to last year's form when he won 18 games and posted a 2.90 ERA. The right-hander struggled to begin this campaign before heading to the injured list.

"Having Dice-K back and throwing the ball the way he can is just huge for us, especially with us thinking about the playoffs right now," Ortiz said.