Is recruiting his new pitch?

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The news that Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, frustrated by years of losing in Seattle, may explore free agency after the season has not been lost on Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Matsuzaka was asked about Ichiro leaving Seattle, and whether as a friend he could entice the former American League batting champion into coming to Boston.

"I had the opportunity to play on the same team with Ichiro for the first time ever in the World Baseball Classic," Matsuzaka said yesterday through interpreter Sachiyo Sekiguchi. "By being on the same team with Ichiro-san, I felt his greatness and his ability and also his reliability. I felt his greatness through that experience.

"If I could be on the same team with him, there would be nobody I could count on more."

Matsuzaka recalled David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez being on the team of major leaguers that toured Japan after the 2004 season, but he did not face either. He did, however, remember the estimated 514-foot home run Ortiz hit that carried to the far reaches of the Tokyo Dome.

"I was afraid the ball would break the ceiling of the dome," Matsuzaka said. "I'm looking forward to playing with Ortiz and Manny on the same team."

While Curt Schilling faced three minor leaguers in the first round of live batting practice thrown by a Sox pitcher, Matsuzaka demonstrated anew how he goes about his preparation differently than the typical major league pitcher, throwing a 103-pitch bullpen session watched by general manager Theo Epstein and Sox owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner. Manager Terry Francona would have joined them, but he was ailing yesterday and stayed inside.

Doug Mirabelli, who did not catch Matsuzaka but was an interested observer, said he couldn't recall any pitcher throwing so many pitches this early in camp.

"It was impressive," Epstein said. "The thing that caught my attention the most, he's in there 80, 90 pitches deep and still going from the stretch, still checking runners, still taking it like a real game situation. Every single pitch had a purpose. You almost wanted to videotape it and show it to our young guys in minor league camp on how to get the most out of your practice."

Almost as impressive as Matsuzaka was catcher Jason Varitek handling all those pitches without a break.

"I got to see a lot of different releases," Varitek said. "He ratcheted it up a little more as he went along, so I got to see another gear in some of his pitches. It was really good. I don't think him being in that extra gear is what makes him. What I've seen so far, what makes him is his ability to utilize all his pitches.

"I got to see some pitches in the dirt, I got to see some balls that got away from him, where he's trying to go, where they get away from him, where he's trying to go when he got locked in."

Varitek said Matsuzaka went through much of his repertoire -- fastball, change, curve, slider, and splitter. He did not throw two-seamed fastballs, Varitek said.

"He threw his first splits to me today," Varitek said. "He threw some really good changeups today with really good depth. It was a good, easy pace."

Pitching coach John Farrell said Matsuzaka asked him for feedback on his head position and the point in which he releases the ball.

"He has a tendency to release the ball too early, where you see some pitches above the zone," Farrell said. "But when he's in a proper position or a release point that's a little later in his delivery, that's when you see him throw the ball down in the zone. Those are two things he's made me aware of just to give him feedback."

Matsuzaka is scheduled to his first batting practice session tomorrow. He and fellow Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima have signed up to play in the team's charity golf tournament here.

Today's workout will begin a half-hour earlier, at 9 a.m., because of the tournament.

Mike Lowell, on the topic of Ramírez not coming to camp until March 1, was asked if he accepted the notion of certain players getting more leeway. Said Lowell: It's like [former Cowboys coach] Jimmy Johnson says, 'If Troy Aikman falls asleep in the video, he'll nudge him and tell him to wake up. If the second-string special teams guy falls asleep, he cuts him.' "

What about the classic car auction Ramírez is scheduled to attend in Atlantic City tomorrow?

"I'll wait till it's true. I don't know," said Lowell. "Concerning Manny, there's a lot of things you hear that aren't true, and some are. So put a TBA on that one."

Amalie Benjamin of the Globe staff contributed to this report.