Japanese pitchers facing off: Kawakami vs Matsuzaka

Today (June 19, 2009) at Fenway Park in Boston, two Japan-born pitchers will start the game against each other in the match up of Kenshin Kawakami for the Atlanta Braves and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Boston Red Sox. This is the 5th time that has happened in the history of MLB. Here are the all 5 match-ups in the past:

• May 7, 1999
  Seattle Mariners Mac Suzuki vs New York Yankees Hideki Irabu
  Retrosheet box score

  SEA A    0  0  0    0  0  0    1  0  0  -   1  5  2
  NY  A    0  0  0    0  3  5    2  0  x  -  10 10  1
  WP: Irabu (1-0)
  LP: Suzuki (0-1)
  HR: Russ Davis (8), Jeter (6)

• July 2, 2000
  Detroit Tigers Hideo Nomo vs Kansas City Royals Mac Suzuki
  Retrosheet box score

  DET A    1  0  0    0  0  1    0  0  0  -   2  6  0
  KC  A    0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  3  0
  WP: Nomo (3-7)
  LP: Suzuki (3-3)
  SV: Jones (23)
  HR: Polonia (5)

• June 19, 2002
  Montreal Expos Tomokazu Ohka vs Kansas City Royals Mac Suzuki
  Retrosheet box score

  KC  A    0  0  2    0  0  0    0  1  0  -   3 10  1
  MON N    3  0  1    0  0  0    0  2  x  -   6  8  2
  WP: Ohka (7-3)
  LP: Suzuki (0-2)
  SV: Stewart (7)

• May 9, 2007
  Red Sox Daisuke Matsuzaka vs Toronto Blue Jays Tomokazu Ohka
  Retrosheet box score

  BOS A    1  2  0    0  0  3    0  2  1  -   9 12  0
  TOR A    0  0  0    0  0  1    0  0  2  -   3  8  2
  WP: Matsuzaka (4-2)
  LP: Ohka (2-4)
  HR: Lugo (2), Ortiz (9), Ramirez (6), Lowell (6), Overbay 2 (5)

• June 19, 2009
  Red Sox Daisuke Matsuzaka vs Atlanta Braves Kenshin Kawakami
  MLB Game Day