How unusual was the scene inside Roger Dean Stadium on Tuesday? Well, it was so crowded for Daisuke Matsuzaka’s debut against major league hitters, with hundreds of standing-room only viewers ringing the complex from foul pole to foul pole, that one industrious fan was trying to scalp his ticket.

INSIDE THE STADIUM.

Hey, if you wanted to see Matsuzaka from a sitting position, it was not such a bad idea.

Matsuzaka still has more new nicknames – Dice K and D-Mat – than appearances against major league teams. But there sure seemed to be more to this man that the contrived marketing possibilities.

I hope you find the time to read my column about Matsuzaka’s performance against the Marlins in The Post. But what there was not room to include in print was how impressed I was by how Matsuzaka handled the day, with poise and good humor.

I always try to give athletes born in different cultures and who speak different language a huge break because I always think, “How would I handle 100 people asking me questions through a translator in Santo Domingo or Tokyo?”

If you have been around the Yankees regularly for the past decade, you have gotten the chance to see one Japanese player who handled the focus horribly and one who handled it brilliantly. Hideki Irabu was shy, edgy and insecure, a toxic brew for a pioneer who was handed huge money and larger expectations. He constantly seemed at war with the whole process.

Matsui, on the other hand, recognized his meaning to people back in Japan and his overall stature. He embraced the time elements, especially with the media, that were demanded upon him, understanding that he was projecting an image back home and establishing one for an entire country here. You sensed a seriousness about Matsui almost instantly upon meeting him and how totally comfortable he was with being this large presence in two continents.

This was an extremely small sample size Tuesday, a few hours. But between that and what I have heard from cohorts out of Red Sox camp in Fort Myers, so far Matsuzaka seems to be straying toward the right Hideki.

On Tuesday, he knew everyone was there to see him and did not seem fazed at all. In fact, if asked to describe his mien, I would say Matsuzaka was rather enjoying himself. He bowed to his shortstop, Julio Lugo, after snaring a liner back to the mound by Hanley Ramirez. He said “yes” in English to Jason Varitek to let the catcher know he understood a request during an important second-inning sequence.

With the media afterward, he was cheery, comfortable and accommodating. He never seemed rattled on or off the field.

All in all, if you are a Red Sox fan, you had to be encouraged. It was a Nice Day for Dice K.