Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka says that his injury problems last season actually began prior to the 2009 World Baseball Classic. According to a Boston Globe report, Dice-K recently told a Japanese magazine that he injured his right leg while preparing to help Japan defend its title at the Classic. "Early on in January 2009, I hurt my right inner thigh," Matsuzaka said. "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 [have] 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. "I had to make a decision whether this injury was serious enough to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic. But my body was functioning well, and by taking anti-inflammatory medicine I [could] tolerate the pain. So I continued training, but actually it was even hard just to jog." Despite the discomfort, Matsuzaka was able to conceal the injury from the Team Japan trainers and coaches. "I didn't want to be the center of concern for people," Matsuzaka said. "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. "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."