Red Sox name Matsuzaka as Opening Day pitcher

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first innings of their spring training MLB baseball game in Vero Beach, Florida March 9, 2008. (REUTERS/Hans Deryk)

MIAMI (Reuters) - Daisuke Matsuzaka will be the starting pitcher for the Red Sox against the Oakland Athletics when Major League Baseball holds its Opening Day in Tokyo next week, Boston manager Terry Francona announced on Monday.

Matsuzaka, who left Japan for Boston last season, will start the March 25 game with lefty Jon Lester going the next day, Francona told reporters in Tampa, Florida, before Boston's spring training game against the Yankees.

Matsuzaka's participation had been in doubt because his wife was expecting, but she gave birth to a son on Saturday, clearing the way for the Japanese right-hander to travel with the team.

The Red Sox are scheduled to leave for Japan on Wednesday.

Matsuzaka, 15-12, and Lester moved up in Boston's rotation after ace starter Josh Beckett was scratched from making the trip because of a sore back.

"Just because of Daisuke's situation, I don't want to say it was in limbo, because he was prepared to pitch," said Francona, according to Baseball Web site www.mlb.com.

"But there's just proper ways to do things. So he went home and things kind of broke, but he was set to go anyway."

Promising young Clay Buchholz and veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will take the mound for exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers (March 22) and Yomiuri Giants (March 23).

(Writing by Larry Fine in New York, editing by Rex Gowar)