According to a translation from the Boston Globe, Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka told the Japanese magazine Friday that his struggles in 2009 stemmed from a thigh injury incurred while training for the World Baseball Classic last January. The right-hander said that he was able to pitch through the condition by taking anti-inflammatories, but that the pain was such that it was difficult for him to jog.

As a result of the injury, Matsuzaka said, he relied more on the strength of his shoulder than his legs to generate power. He did not alert trainers to the condition, he said, because he did not want to create concern about his health.

“I didn’t tell the trainers. Fortunately, I was in charge of my own training, so if it started to hurt, I could adjust to not hurt myself,” said Matsuzaka, according to the Globe’s translation. “But pitching while hiding the injury was very difficult. Even when I didn’t feel the pain, my body was holding back because it sensed the danger. So, my pitching motion was more of standing straight up and throwing with my upper body, relying on my shoulder strength more than usual.”

Matsuzaka said that when he returned to the Red Sox after the WBC, his shoulder allowed him respectable fastball velocity, but the pitch continued to lack power without the benefit of his lower body.

“After my first stint on the DL in May, I was very hard on myself. Because I got plenty of rest, my shoulder was much stronger, so I could still get up there in velocity. But I couldn’t use my lower body well, and I could not use my full body to generate the power. My fastball was not effective, therefore I lost effectiveness of my other pitches,” he was quoted as saying. “In hindsight, it was impossible to continue faking the whole season, it was too much mental stress. But the Red Sox struggled a little bit in the beginning of the season so I wanted to help the team as much as I could.”

Matsuzaka went on to say that his improvement upon his return to the rotation in September was the byproduct of his thigh injury having healed, rather than the loss of weight. He also noted his gratitude that the team has now said that he can resume extended bullpen sessions between starts so long as shoulder strength tests indicate that he is fit for such an undertaking.

The pitcher concluded that he will try to make amends for his lost 2009 major-league season with a return to effectiveness in the coming year.

“I assure you that the (2010) season will be a great season. I am going to redeem what I lost in 2009,” the Globe quotes Matsuzaka as saying. “With my health back, I am confident and determined to produce this year. I will (try my best to) become world champion once again.”

Matsuzaka and the Red Sox clashed over the pitcher’s training methods during the past season, especially in the aftermath of the pitcher’s pronounced displeasure with the team’s program. But in the aftermath of that incident, the two sides had candid conversations that led to what was viewed as a mutual understanding about how to proceed going forward.

Matsuzaka has been working at Athletes’ Performance in Arizona to ensure that he is in top shape for the coming year. Agent Scott Boras acknowledged on Friday that the transition to Major League Baseball has not been without its challenges, but that, in the aftermath of the conversations that the pitcher had with the Sox last year, he is trying to adopt routines that will permit him to reproduce his success in the U.S.

“Daisuke is a major star in Japan. To come here and to take on the major leagues and the difference of it took time,” said Boras. “This year, he’s just making every effort now to make the transition to fit more than he has.”

Sometime after Dustin Pedroia’s exit out of Dolphin Stadium, and prior to Team USA’s drubbing at the hands of Puerto Rico (mercy rule!?), the Phillies Shane Victorino relayed what he witnessed when Pedroia was stricken by what is being deemed as a “minor strain of his lower abdominal region”.

Victorino, you see, was not only closest of anybody to the action, but also convinced Pedroia not to continue pushing through his ailment.

“I told him that it was better he be out for one game that be out for half a season,” said Victorino, who was watching Pedroia take flips from Team USA coach Reggie Smith. “You know how he is, he wants to keep going. He just took a swing off a flip and then he went ‘aahh!’ I’m like, ‘Don’t be risking it here.’ He was like, ‘Nah, let me take one more.’ But I told him, obliques aren’t fun, I know.”

Just a quick update on my situation …

While taking batting practice Friday I felt some soreness in my left oblique, but nothing to make me think that my availability for Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico would be in jeopardy. Then, after taking some swings off a tee, I was doing flips with Reggie Smith tossing the ball to me, and all of a sudden I felt a kind of shooting pain. I hadn’t felt anything like this before. Last year I had a sore right oblique during the American League Championship Series, but it was nothing like this.

Shane Victorino was standing next to me and after he saw me grimace he suggested I stop, reminding me about the priority (which is the coming season). The next thing I know I’m standing in front of a bunch of media in street clothes explaining what happened, and then trying to find my ride back to Fort Myers.

I’m truly hoping that after I get checked out by the Red Sox they’ll say it’s OK to head back to Miami, but I also understand the situation. As I wrote the other day, while we are having a great time and this is an unbelievable experience it is still understood that getting ready for the regular season is first and foremost.

Getting in that car parked just outside Dolphin Stadium to head back to Fort Myers was a tough thing, and, again, I’m hoping I can turnaround and head back to Team USA. We’ll see …

(Editor’s Note: Due to his strained left oblique, Dustin Pedroia has been removed from the Team USA roster for the second round of the World Baseball Classic. He will be replaced by Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. Pedroia is not eligible to return to the Team USA roster should the squad advance.)

A day after speaking on some of the subjects pertaining to the Dominican Republic’s early exit from the World Baseball Classic, David Ortiz elaborated on the pressures he and his team faced, what it meant to his preparation, and his plans not to play in the WBC when it comes around four years from now:

(On whether or not he will play in the WBC again) “It will be another four years and by that time I don’t think I’ll be thinking about that anymore. I’ve already done it twice.”

“I’ve done it a few times already. I’ll let somebody else do it.”

(On playing first base in the final game) “I played. I had no choice. I didn’t have to do anything crazy, anyway. I had a few throws, that’s about it.” (Note: Ortiz, who was icing his left shoulder as he spoke, thought it necessary to play first so that the DR could get both Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes in the lineup.)

(Are people still stinging over it the Dominican Republic) “What do you think? It’s only been a few days.”

“In those series anything can happen. Everything (in the final game) that was hit hard was right at somebody. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I saw so many line-drives hit at people that day that I was like, ‘Wow!’”

Read the rest of this entry »

MIAMI — Well, we got back in the States yesterday about 4 p.m., flying from Toronto to Miami. I’m pretty wiped out but am looking forward to the next stage of things, which will kick off with a workout Friday and then an 8 0′clock match-up with Puerto Rico Saturday night.

The one thing that has surprised me is the schedule. I thought we would be playing a lot more, but we’ve had a ton of days off. This week we played Sunday, had workouts Monday and Tuesday, played Wednesday, and then had two more off days. It’s a challenge to keep your timing sharp. 

I felt my timing was off a little bit in that game on Wednesday because it’s just different in terms of game speed and going through the workouts. I’ve just taken the approach that these off days are like early spring training days, taking a lot of ground balls and stuff like that. The reminder is that my main job is to get ready for the season for the Red Sox.

As far as this team, as I said before it’s a great group of guys and we’re all pulling together to try and win games right now. But, just like when you’re reminding yourself that getting your timing down is primarily for when you’re wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform, you also will have to face the fact that while we’re trying to win games right now, once this thing is over we’re enemies. 

For the next few days, however, the reality of the real season can wait. We’re enjoying ourselves and every day I can honestly say I feel honored to be wearing this ‘USA’ uniform. Now we just have to keep it going.

Will be back at you after the game Saturday night …

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

WBC Blog Entry No. 1

WBC Blog Entry No. 2

(Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will be blogging for WEEI.com throughout the World Baseball Classic. His second entry comes after Team USA’s off-day workout, Monday, at the Rogers Centre.)

TORONTO — So this is how the game went during Monday’s workout: Each of us taking batting practice can’t hit a ball foul or it will cost five push-ups. Then if we hit a ball we think is going out you have to call it, but if it doesn’t go out then that will cost you five push-ups.

I end up hitting a couple of line-drives that hit the top of the fence that I thought were gone. So I did my push-ups … real push-ups. Derek Jeter? Well, he didn’t really go down all the way. I’m not a trainer or anything, but those weren’t push-ups.

But Derek is a great guy, one of a bunch of great guys on this team. He’s a guy who has a good personality and I really think he enjoys coming here each day and playing. Any guy like that you can joke around with because if you love playing baseball you have to keep it relaxed and keep an upbeat atmosphere. There are a lot of guys on this team like that. That’s what makes it fun. This World Baseball Classic is a tough tournament to play in, but if you stay relaxed it slows down and you can really enjoy it.

I didn’t really know how much I would be able to joke with Derek, but our lockers are right next to each other and it’s been great. I just started kidding around and saw what happened. It’s been fun. It’s been fun playing with all of these guys. I respect these guys so much. I’m just trying to pick their brains and see what I can use to put in my game.

As for myself, I’m just going to be who I am. My teammates in Boston love me for that and I’m not going to change because I’m playing on this team or any other team. I’m hoping the guys like me and like playing with me, but we’ve all got to just keep playing because winning is what it’s all about.

Another guy who gets it is David Wright. I love ripping on him. He’s got no chance, it’s great. We’ve been playing the card game ‘Pluck’. Oh my goodness, he has to clean it up.

I’ve met David a few times since we have the same agents. He just gets it. He is one of those guys who right after one day is done he is asking what time you want to go the next day. To start out a career like he has, it’s awesome. It’s been cool getting to know him, and getting to know all these guys … even if some of them can’t do push-ups.

TORONTO — Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay’s hiatus away from the team has turned out to be a short one with his Team Canada squad being eliminated from the World Baseball Classic after dropping a 6-2 decision to Italy, Monday night at the Rogers Centre. 

Bay, who played center field and hit fifth for Canada in its two WBC games, went 2 for 2 with a double, two walks and two RBI against the Italians. In Team Canada’s first game, a 6-5 loss to Team USA, Bay went 0 for 2 with a run and three walks. 

Here are some quotes from Bay following the game:

“Obviously, I think offensively we expected to do a lot better. And, you know, like (Canada manager) Ernie (Whitt) said, those guys weren’t running out, you know, a bunch of guys that never played baseball before. They had some guys that knew what they were doing. We’re a pretty good offensive team. 

“The U.S.  is a tough staff. And I think we probably should have scored some more runs, but ultimately we didn’t. Whether that’s our fault, a little bit, and a little bit of of them, too, their pitching. But I think (the offense) was definitely our downfall.”

“Disappointed, obviously. I mean, you know, that was a game, especially being here in Toronto, that, you know — not that that made it any more relevant to win, but  I mean, something with the hometown and kind of the whole nature of this tournament, and coming here and, you know, I think that we thought we had a legitimate shot to move on. And to kind of have that ended abruptly, you know, I think is … it’s kind of a grim reality.”