Daisuke Matsuzaka became the first star of the World Baseball Classic in 2006. He then became one of the tournament’s biggest cautionary tales in 2009.
Matsuzaka, who earned MVP honors in the inaugural 2006 tournament on the strength of three sensational starts, again was recognized as tournament MVP while leading Japan to a second straight WBC title in 2009. But in that season, a seemingly rushed buildup caught up with Matsuzaka by the time he returned to the Sox for spring training.
After two excellent seasons to open his Red Sox career in 2007 and 2008, shoulder fatigue left him with drastically diminished stuff in 2009. He followed up an 18-3 campaign with a 2.90 ERA over 167⅔ innings in 2008 with a 4-6 season and 5.76 ERA in 2009, when he was limited to 59⅓ innings while missing three months.
Matsuzaka’s alarming dropoff offered a jarring lesson in the potential risks of the tournament, particularly for pitchers. Thereafter, many top pitchers and their teams viewed the WBC as a risk not worth taking.
This year, with still-vivid memories of the incredible 2023 WBC still fresh, that mindset has shifted.
Read Alex Speier's full story at BostonGlobe.com/Sports. | 
