FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Hundreds of fans watched the matchup of marquee stars Monday – and it was only batting practice in spring training.

When slugger David Ortiz stepped in against pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, spectators pressed up against the fence separating them from the field and dozens of cameras clicked.

Ortiz, who led the AL in homers and RBIs last season, is reserving detailed judgment, but is confident about one thing: “I’m pretty sure he’s going to do well.”

Ortiz faced 12 of the 54 pitches, all from the stretch, in Matsuzaka’s second batting practice session of spring training. He let nine go by, fouled one into the batting cage, hit a grounder to first base that might have gone for a hit and bunted foul on the 12th pitch.

“He’s got good stuff, but we haven’t played yet,” Ortiz said, but “he knows how to pitch. He stays in the strike zone. That’s all you need to survive in the big leagues.”

He also has a changeup that other batters he’s faced in spring training rave about and an above-average fastball, curve and slider.

Manny Ramirez, on his first day in camp, stood in for three pitches against Matsuzaka and took them all. Less than two weeks into spring training, Matsuzaka faced two of baseball’s best hitters.

“They didn’t have too much intention of hitting my balls,” Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. “It was more to see what kind of pitch I throw. So I just concentrated on my own pitching.”

Another Red Sox slugger who faced him also was impressed.

“He’s got some nasty stuff, so he’s going to be good,” Wily Mo Pena said. “He throws a split, (his) changeup was perfect. … He’s got movement on every pitch he throws.”

It’s just the beginning for Matsuzaka, who pitches Friday night against Boston College.

“Every time I pitch,” he said, “things start getting better.”