Daisuke Matsuzaka might have actually done it this time.

It's easy to take Monday's Jacobs Field outing and jump to the conclusion that eight innings of giving up just four singles -- leading the Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the Indians (click here for a complete recap) -- is evidence enough that he has turned some sort of corner. Matsuzaka dominated, and it wasn't the first time this season. 

In his last four starts, starting with the near no-hitter in Philadelphia, Matsuzaka has a 3-1 record with a 1.98 ERA, allowing opponents a mere .179 batting average. Good, yes? Yes.

But before we dive into the kind of pool of optimism witnessed in the progression of Clay Buchholz, we were also reminded Monday night that Matsuzaka's lot in life should have been defined by now. It was his 150th career win (108 having come in Japan). 

To give some perspective of pitchers born in 1980 only CC Sabathia comes close in terms of number of career victories, coming up 10 shy of Daisuke's total. (Of those born in the year Ronald Reagan was voted into office Josh Beckett is next with 107.)

Certainly Sabathia isn't in the business of all-of-a-sudden evolution, as is the case with Beckett, Dan Haren, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, and the rest of the major league children of '80.

But one thing we have learned in Matsuzaka's tenure in the United States is that comparisons usually don't hold up when talking about this guy. And it was the game against the Indians that continued to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the pitcher has had a true revelation that might actually allow him to fulfill his desire to pitch in the U.S. for 10 more years.

So what is the magic elixir that has allowed the kind of success that is resurfacing conversations regarding Matsuzaka actually living up to the Red Sox' investment. Nothing fancy. No Gyro-ball, or seventh pitch. It is nothing more than a good old fashioned fastball.

It's not a heater that seems like much, topping out at 94 mph. But there was a reason Matsuzaka started the game throwing 13 of them -- it has become his best (and most important) pitch.

Gone are the days of toying with one-finger butt-kickers (or whatever else pitch got Matsuzaka's repertoire up to eight pitchers). It is all about the fastball, followed by an ever-improving cutter, and then a smattering of changeups and curves.

For instance …

This season, coming into Monday night, Matsuzaka had thrown his fastball 60 percent of the time against right-handed hitters. That's eight percent more than a year ago, and five percent above any other season he has pitched for the Red Sox.

Against the Indians, Matsuzaka threw his fastball 63 times out of his 113 pitches, tossing it 37 out of his first 44 offerings. He set the tone with the four-seamer, and then finished off the second half of his appearance with a flurry of cutters.

The simplification of Matsuzaka's approach has resulted in second thoughts among opponents. Remember when the Angels didn't swing at the pitcher's first 13 pitches? That strategy is leaving the building, as the Indians were reminded.

"We couldn't get anything off Matsuzaka," Cleveland manager Manny Acta told reporters. "He spoiled our game plan to work the count against him by being aggressive and throwing strikes. He was aggressive in the zone, then used his off-speed stuff and made us chase."

Matsuzaka wasn't as strike-efficient as his last outing, when he threw only 25 balls in his 109-pitch win over Oakland. But the showing against the Indians did include 70 strikes, making it four times in his last six starts he has found the zone at least 70 times.

In 41 appearances between 2008-09 Matsuzaka only totaled 70 strikes four times. That's four times in two seasons! And, so, there you have it.

There were promising signs (like when he told WEEI.com that this was the best fastball he has had since coming to the Red Sox), and bumps in the road (see the kumbaya moment between Matsuzaka and Victor Martinez after the pitcher wasn't able to air out as many four-seamers in New York as he might have liked).

But this run is a bit different than anything we've seen from Matsuzaka has offered before.

Yes, this could be the one. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it.)