"Five years ago, Daisuke Matsuzaka joined the Red Sox with all the ballyhoo and pomp of an international superstar.

Now, as he prepares to leave the team, all that remains is uncertainty.

Matsuzaka will have surgery this week in Los Angeles to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The procedure will require a recovery of 12-15 months, casting doubt on his future with the Red Sox. And yesterday, as he made his first public comments since opting for surgery, the right-hander confessed he feels "a little bit of anxiety."

"It's my first time to get an operation," Matsuzaka said through a translator, "and all I can say is I'm very shocked when it comes to these results."

The Red Sox medical staff recommended rest and rehabilitation to manage the injury, even though MRI results revealed at least a partial tear of the ligament. But Matsuzaka received a second opinion last week from Dr. Lewis Yocum, who will perform the surgery.

"I was told the ligament is torn. To fix it perfectly, I need surgery," Matsuzaka said. "That's why I'm having surgery."

Matsuzaka has a 49-30 record and a 4.25 ERA with the Red Sox, hardly the level of success expected when the club paid a $51.1 million posting fee to his former Japanese team and then signed him to a six-year, $52 million contract that expires at the end of next season."