Nice article in the Boston Herald about how Matsuzaka is learning English quickly.

Yesterday morning at City of Palms Park, new Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell was jogging with the team’s phenom-in-training, Daisuke Matsuzaka.

And, as jogging buddies will do, Farrell and Matsuzaka talked as they underwent their daily cardio workout.

Not much news value in that, right? But check this out: Nowhere was there an interpreter huffing and puffing with pitcher and coach, turning Japanese into English, English into Japanese.

While it should come as no surprise to those familiar with Matsuzaka’s work ethic, Red Sox fans will be comforted to know that the Dice Man is taking very seriously his quest to learn English.

“He’s been talking about progressing in English,” said Yoshihisa Miura, who is covering the Red Sox for Jiji Press, a Japanese news service. “He’s working very hard at it.”

Farrell noted that it probably helps that Matsuzaka’s wife, Tomoyo, a Japanese television personality, is conversational in English

“I think he’s getting a fairly good grasp of the English language,” said Farrell. “There’s more repetition that he’s had, compared with Hideki Okajima.

“We have had the ability to speak in English, and it’s surprising. We’re working to bridge the gap and I’m working on my understanding of Japanese and the use of the language. While it’s limited – I can talk about body parts, I can talk about on-field situations – it’s helping him reach a middle ground.

“We did not have a lot of firsthand interaction with him prior to spring training,” added Farrell, “so there was the thought that his (English) comprehension and his use of the language was very minimal. But it’s been more than I had anticipated.”

This is good news for Red Sox Nation. As we all know, communication is essential between a pitcher and catcher. Jorge Posada of the Yankees said he would call Matsui in from the outfield if he needed to have a conversation with their Japanese pitcher, Kei Igawa. The Red Sox do not have this luxury. When Dice-K was on the mound against the Marlins, Varitek had to go to the mound to talk to him. Like any pitcher would do, Dice-K covered his mouth when he was talking to Varitek. An odd behavior for someone who speaks little English. He was more worried about someone lip reading.

The more English that Dice-K learns the better for the Red Sox. Hopefully he doesn’t pull a Manny and pretend not to speak English. The less they have to rely on the translator, the better it will be for them as the season goes on.