New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui did not hesitate when the time came last winter to decide between the Yankees and the World Baseball Classic, the New York Times said in a report from Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday.
"It wasn't complicated," the Yankees' left fielder was quoted as saying through an interpreter Monday. "Nothing agonizing or anything. It was just a matter of staying cool and making my decision."
On Monday, Matsui doubled and drew two walks in his three plate appearances as the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-8. He has five hits in six spring at-bats.
Matsui gave two reasons for skipping the WBC, the paper said. One was that he wanted to prepare for the regular season in the same way as he always does, and the other was that he did not think he would be ready to play at a high level in the international tournament.