TOKYO — With Daisuke Matsuzaka gone after five innings, the Red Sox got a chance Tuesday to look at a number of relief pitchers they’re evaluating. Some fared well; others didn’t.

Kyle Snyder gave back the lead almost as soon as the Red Sox got it in the sixth, giving up a single to the first man he faced (Bobby Crosby) and a two-run homer to Jack Hannahan.

But Javier Lopez faced two hitters and struck one out and Bryan Corey added a spotless eighth inning.

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Brandon Moss became the fifth player in major-league history to hit his first regular-season home run outside the continental U.S. or Canada. The others: Joey Hamilton (Aug. 18, 1996 in Mexico); Eric Valent (April 11, 2004 in Puerto Rico); Ron Calloway (April 16, 2004 in Puerto Rico); and Charles Thomas (July 7, 2004 Puerto Rico).

Also, home-run historian David Vincent notes that Moss became only the third Red Sox player to hit his first major-league home run in a season opener and the first since 1945. The last to do was Ben Steiner on April 17, 1945. Tom Winsett also did in on April 14, 1931.

Vincent also discovered that Moss is the 10th Red Sox player to hit his first homer as a member of the Red Sox in a season opener. Among those to do so were Don Baylor (April 7, 1986), Jack Clark (April 8, 1991), Tony Clark (April 1, 2002) and Mike Lowell (April 3, 2006).

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For all the interest in Matsuzaka and his first start in Japan since joining the Red Sox, the crowd reaction was almost as loud for teammate Hideki Okajima, who entered the game in the ninth. Okajima received a huge ovation, having been a member of the Yomiuri Giants, the team which ordinarily calls the Tokyo Dome home.

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The Sox faced a couple of familiar faces in the Oakland bullpen. Keith Foulke, the closer on the 2004 World Series team who took last year off, pitched the eighth and retired Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in order. Both Youkilis and Ortiz took good swings, however, with Youkilis sending Ryan Sweeney to the warning track in center and Ortiz stinging a liner to left that was caught. Later, after the Sox beat up closer Huston Street, Lenny DiNardo came in and walked a batter before getting Moss to fly out.

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Jacoby Ellsbury made the defensive play of the game, robbing Emil Brown of extra bases in the eighth, leaping before the wall to make a terrific grab. Ellsbury banged into the wall hard and was wearing an ice pack on his back and shoulder, but appeared fine.

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Tuesday was only the fifth time in franchise history that the Sox had played extra-innings and the first time they came out on top. Before Tuesday, not since 2001 had the Sox been pushed beyond nine innings in their season opener.

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Julio Lugo was the first repeat opener at shortstop on Opening Day since Nomar Garciaparra in 2002-2003.

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Jason Varitek started his ninth straight opener, the most Opening Day starts for a catcher in club history. It’s the longest streak for any Red Sox player since Mike Greenwell started nine in a row from 1988 through 1996.

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Until Tuesday, the Sox had lost six of the previous seven season openers.