Red Sox pitching coach, speaking to a group of reporters in the Red Sox clubhouse, reiterated a sense of "disappointment" about the feelings expressed by pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka to a Japanese reporter. Farrell said that the Sox had "felt like we were on the same page" with the pitcher about the program he needed to follow, but that in the wake of the comments about how he needs to follow a throwing program similar to the one he employed in Japan, "we feel like it's the opposite."
Farrell referred to the pitcher's failure to follow a proper offseason conditioning and strengthening program.
"There has to be accountability and responsibility on the part of the player," said Farrell.
Farrell said that Matsuzaka's throwing program was altered only after his shoulder showed fatigue in his first season in Major League Baseball in 2007, when shorter between-starts rest periods, the depth and strength of American League lineups and the intensity of workload all conspired to leave his shoulder strength in a "red area" that made the pitcher vulnerable to injury. Farrell said that the team has never mandated a throwing program for the pitcher, but had instead worked with him to identify overall strength, conditioning and shoulder programs to make him effective.
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