Daisuke Matsuzaka threw off a mound Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, according to the Mainichi Daily News. He threw just 21 pitches during the bullpen session, 11 with the catcher standing in front of home plate. Still, the news is a good sign that the former 18-game winner is rehabbing well from the procedure.
Dice-K plans to long toss Wednesday, and go in for another bullpen session on Friday. He said that he plans to throw even harder next week. There had been rumblings that Matsuzaka may not be able to pitch for the Boston Red Sox again, though now it appears more and more likely that he will play next season.
Matsuzaka went 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA in eight appearances last season, seven of them starts.
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