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Will Japan's 'Dice K' become an American superstar?
Will Barry Bonds break the home-run record?
Baseball 2007 begins with lots of questions.

T
Place your cursor over the slideshow for captions.
he major league baseball season started with a bang: Barry Bonds hit a home run. Japanese sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched brilliantly in his first game in the U.S. The New York Mets swept three games from the World Champion Cardinals.

The 2007 season opened on April 2. After the momentous first week, fans everywhere wondered: What else will the rest of the year bring? Here are some of 2007's big questions:

Who will be the next young breakout stars? Ryan Howard, David Wright, Justin Morneau and José Reyes were big stories in 2006. Will they have great seasons this year? Who will 2007's top rookies be?

Will Hank Aaron's all-time home run record be broken? San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds has hit 735 home runs in his career. He needs only 21 more to become baseball's greatest home run king. But Bonds also has been criticized for suspected use of performance-enhancing steroids. If he breaks the record, will people discount it?

Will another surprising team win the World Series? Over the past seven years, seven different teams have won the championship. Will an eighth team surprise everyone this year?

Could the Chicago Cubs finally break their losing streak? The Windy City's Cubbies haven't won the World Series since 1908. Will they extend their streak yet again? Or will 2007 finally be their year?

Will 'Dice K' live up to his hype? Daisuke Matsuzaka, 26, was a huge star in Japan. The Boston Red Sox paid over $100 million to have him pitch for them for the next six years. Matsuzaka is famous for his many pitches, including fastball, slider, change-up, cutter, and forkball. Some say he also has a special 'gyroball' that baffles hitters. Will he be a big hit or a big disappointment? All fans—especially those in Boston—will be watching.

Think About It!
Dice K is baseball's newest international star, but he's got lots of company. America's pastime has become an international game. Today, more than 25 percent of all major-league players were born outside the U.S.

Many foreign-born athletes are among baseball's best. The most valuable player in the American League in 2006? Justin Morneau of Canada. Best pitcher in the American League (AL) last year? Minnesota Twin Johan Santana—born in Venezuela. The AL's top relief pitcher? Mariano Rivera of Panama (and the New York Yankees). One of the NL's outstanding outfielders? Andruw Jones, from the Caribbean island-nation of Curacao. Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is from Taiwan. White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras is from Cuba. Cardinals pitcher Ricardo Rincon is from Mexico. Then there are the dozens of players that come from the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic.

So far, 2007 looks like an exciting year for American baseball. Given the nationality of many of the players, it will also be an exciting baseball year for many other countries around the world.

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