“He is a big-league ace in the making.”
—6-time All-Star Curt Schilling

“He has no holes in his technique.”
—Veteran big leaguer Tadahito Iguchi

“There's a very tough pitch that moves, that strikes us all out. Is it a gyro? I don't know. I'll call it whatever you want.”
—Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima

“He wanted very much to get it right, always setting a high bar and trying to clear it. He worked hard. He has a special heart.”
—Japanese baseball coach Motonori Watanabe

“When he’s right, he throws about 35 percent fastballs. That’s because he has other quality pitches he can throw for strikes.”
—Manager Bobby Valentine

“He comes from a background where they do things differently. For us to bang his head against the wall and say, ‘You’re going to do it this way,’ would be wrong.”
—Red Sox manager Terry Francona

"We all expected a lot ... and he's done nothing to come up short."
—Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell

"We were kind of rooting against him at the World Baseball Classic, hoping he wouldn't pitch too well because we didn't want his profile to rise even more."
—Red Sox GM Theo Epstein

"It's hard to explain how popular he is. He's bigger than a rock star."
—Japanese Sports Marketing Expert Manabu Yamada

"I think he understands what a great organization the Red Sox are."
—Japanese Baseball Expert Robert Whiting

"He just really likes throwing a baseball."
—Bullpen coach Gary Tuck