< Back to front page Text size – +

Dice-K willing to pitch in Classic

Print | Comments () Posted by Chad Finn, Globe Staff November 21, 2008 12:21 PM

Tweet
E-mail

Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Most Valuable Player of the inaugural World Baseball Classic two years ago, told the Associated Press in Tokyo that he wants to help Japan try to repeat as the champion.

"I'll accept the offer if I'm asked to play," Matsuzaka said. "I'll pick up the pace of my training in December so that I won't have to scramble at the last minute."

Matsuzaka went 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in three starts at the 2006 tournament, earning the victory in the championship game against Cuba. He signed with the Red Sox nine months later.

Matsuzaka has won 33 games in his two seasons in Boston, including an 18-3 mark with a 2.90 ERA last season, which was good for a fourth-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting.

"I won 18 games, but in the United States, people severely look at the way you perform," Matsuzaka said. "I had a fulfilling season, though, with both good and bad experiences."

The second World Baseball Classic begins March 5.