Daisuke Matsuzaka stumbles in debut for Mets

Daisuke Matsuzaka who once was “one of the best in the world,” according to manager Terry Collins, was hit hard early in a 6-1 loss to the fearsome Detroit Tigers Friday night at Citi Field.

He allowed five runs in the first 12/3 innings, including a long solo home run by Torii Hunter in the first and an absolute bomb by Miguel Cabrera in the second. Cabrera’s three-run shot came one pitch after Hunter hit an RBI double that one-hopped over the centerfield wall.

“I was a little bit more nervous than I expected to be,” Matsuzaka said through a translator. “The home runs and the runs and the hits that came those two innings woke me up, and from the third inning on, I was able to settle down and go back to what I’ve worked on in the minor leagues this year and [it] convinced me that I can keep major-league hitters off the bases. Unfortunately, the first two innings decided the game, so it wasn’t how I wanted it to go.”

Matsuzaka cost the Red Sox $103 million in posting fees and salary after he came over from Japan in 2007. This year, he was toiling in Cleveland’s minor-league system after going 1-7 with an 8.28 ERA for Boston in 2012.

The Mets signed the 32-year-old Thursday and handed him Dwight Gooden’s No. 16 and an immediate start. Matsuzaka, who went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA for Boston in 2008, was pitching on three days’ rest after starting for Triple-A Columbus on Monday. He was 5-8 with a 3.92 ERA for Columbus before activating an out clause in his contract when the Mets came calling.