BOSTON — The buzz was all about Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka.

And he pitched well enough.

But the “other” pitcher last night, who began the night as mere fodder, the foil for Dice-K in his debut in Boston, eclipsed Boston’s new multimillion-dollar import in ultimately becoming the headliner in Seattle’s 3-0 victory at Fenway Park.

Felix Hernandez, who turned 21 on Sunday, celebrated the milestone birthday by flirting with a no-hitter.

The Mariners’ wunderkind right-hander authored seven hitless innings before J.D. Drew broke up his bid for a gem with a hard grounder up the middle leading off the eighth, a clean single.

Hernandez has not allowed an earned run in his two starts totaling 17 innings this season. His complete game last night followed an eight-inning effort in out-dueling Oakland ace Rich Harden in his first game, on April 3.

It was clear from the outset last night he was a confident pitcher. He’d throw a pitch, get the ball back from the catcher and climb right back up on the rubber, wasting little time between pitches.

He broke off some nasty sliders and he had plenty of zip on his fastball, including a sizzling 97-mph heater with movement on the outside black that froze Manny Ramirez for a strikeout in the seventh.

As with any no-hit bid, it came with a couple of defensive gems.

Second baseman Jose Lopez made nice back-to-back backhanded plays in the fifth. On the David Ortiz shift, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, on the second-base side of the bag, snagged a hot shot hit by the Sox designated hitter and started a double play in the fourth. Left fielder Raul Ibanez made a sliding catch on Kevin Youkilis in the seventh.

But the night belonged to Hernandez.

“I didn’t pay any attention [to the fact he was opposing Matsuzaka],” said Hernandez. “I just tried to stay focused on what I had to do. [Losing the no-hitter] wasn’t disappointing. I won the game. This was a lot of fun. Exciting.”

Ortiz tipped his cap to Hernandez, saying he has the ability to become a Roger Clemens or a Nolan Ryan “if he behaves himself and takes care of himself.”

“That was impressive to see a pitcher dominate like that on such a cold night. I’ve seen that a lot with Curt [Schilling] and Pedro [Martinez] when he was here. You see the pitcher for the other side bring his best game when he pitches against guys like that. [Hernandez] has pretty good stuff and he brought his ‘A’ game, too.”

The Mariners liked what they saw in the matchup before the first pitch.

“[Felix] is a special kid,” said bench coach John McLaren. “This kid’s going to be a monster in this league.”

Hernandez is called King Felix in Seattle.

And yesterday, in out-pitching Daisuke Matsuzaka, he was king of the hill at Fenway.

Keeping batters off balance

One of Matsuzaka’s strengths is that he will throw any pitch at any time in the count.

For instance, last night, Dice-K’s first pitch of the game was a curveball, surprising countryman Ichiro Suzuki, who took the pitch for a strike. Most of the time, a pitcher’s first offering in a game is a fastball.

Later in the inning, with a 2-and-0 count on Ibanez and a runner at first with two outs, Matsuzaka threw another curveball in a count that generally forces the pitcher to throw a fastball.

Ibanez swung as if he were expecting a cookie of a fastball. He was way out in front of the curve, weakly fouling the pitch in the dirt at home plate.

That unpredictability, coupled with good stuff and command, is a formula for success.

Predictable pitches at this level get hit, no matter who might be throwing them. In the second inning, after falling behind Jose Guillen at 3 and 0 with one out and none on, Matsuzaka fired the customary get-me-over fastball.

But Guillen didn’t take it, as often happens on 3 and 0. He rifled a shot high off the wall, a blast that would have been a homer in many ballparks that the Green Monster turned into a single.

Ramirez showcases quick release

Manny Ramirez, as everyone is aware, is not known for his defense.

He tends to rack up a lot of assists because he plays shallow in Fenway Park and the opposition runs on him at every chance.

But last night Ramirez made an outstanding play that came within a whisker of cutting down a run in the second inning.

With runners at second and third and one out, Ramirez ranged several steps to his left to make a running catch of Betancourt’s flare.

Ramirez quickly slowed his momentum, unleashed his customary quick release and made a strong throw to the plate. The ball was a tad off to the first-base side, forcing catcher Jason Varitek to go get the ball and allowing Guillen to slide in safely.

And while Guillen was called safe before the ball rolled out of Varitek’s mitt after contact with the runner’s foot, Ramirez’s throw made it a much closer play than it looked like it would be.

Matsuzaka displays his mettle

Matsuzaka no doubt further endeared himself to his teammates by drilling Guillen with a pitch in the fourth inning.

Guillen had to be restrained from going after Boston pitcher Brendan Donnelly during Tuesday’s game after he had struck out. Donnelly and Guillen, former teammates, have a well-documented history, as Donnelly said, resulting in an eight-game suspension for the pitcher for using pine tar on his glove in 2005.

Donnelly suspected it was Guillen who blew the whistle on him when Guillen was playing for Washington.

Anyway, last night Matsuzaka rifled a 93-mph fastball off Guillen’s left shoulder with two out and none on in the fourth. Guillen’s reaction? He dropped the bat and trotted to first base without so much as a look out to the mound.

In Japan, there are times, even in professional ball, when the pitcher will tip his cap toward the batter after hitting him, a sign he was sorry. Matsuzaka has done that at times, according to members of the Japanese media. But not last night.

skrasner@projo.com