Red Sox Learn Dice-K Hid Groin Injury

"This is not the way the Boston Red Sox wanted to learn that Daisuke Matsuzaka hurt himself even before the World Baseball Classic last spring, reading his comments translated from an interview he gave to a Japanese magazine. But that's how it went down, a major league source said Sunday, even though Matsuzaka was asked repeatedly by the club last season if he was hurt and told them repeatedly he was OK.

Matsuzaka and his agent, Scott Boras, who said nothing about Matsuzaka being hurt when he was in Boston on Friday for the news conference to announce the Red Sox's signing of Adrian Beltre, can expect to be quizzed about his purported injury -- and his refusal to come clean to his employers -- if they haven't been already. The fact that the Sox were unaware of the injury not only raises questions about its authenticity, it puts another strain on a relationship between the star Japanese pitcher and the team, which turned antagonistic last summer when the Sox sent Matsuzaka to Fort Myers because his ineffectiveness was due, in their judgment, to his being woefully out of shape.

Early on in January 2009, I hurt my right inner thigh,'' Matsuzaka said in the translation by Fujiwara and published by the Globe. "I consider movement around my hip joint a crucial part of my pitching motion. It happened during my exercise to strengthen my hip joint that I incorporated into training since 2008. I may have pushed myself just a little too hard. It wasn't the pain that killed me, but it was the regrets and guilt that filled my mind. It was the time to start building up for the season, but I hurt myself because of my own doing (ESPN)."

I am willing to sweep this under the rug, since it is a new season and the Red Sox and Dice-K have come to an understanding. As long as Dice-K shows up in great shape I really can forget about all this, but if he struggles again this season this relationship could get ugly fast. Anyways, this is something I am sure the Boston media will have a field day with, but once again, I really don't care as long as he does what he is supposed to this offseason and into next season...