Yankees third baseman will miss World Baseball Classic
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez's troublesome right hip requires immediate surgery, the third baseman's brother told LasMayores.com, MLB.com's Spanish-language Web site.
Rodriguez's brother, Joe Dunand, said that Rodriguez will have the operation performed on Monday in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Philippon. Dunand said it was his understanding that the recovery time for such a surgery is 10 weeks.
The surgery would nix Rodriguez's hopes of playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and possibly cause him to miss part of the regular season if Dunand is correct and Rodriguez has the procedure done.
"We're not giving any information right now," Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said Thursday.
"I do not have that information -- I have not heard that yet," manager Joe Girardi said.
Referring to general manager Brian Cashman, Girardi added, "I have to talk to Cash."
Cashman declined to comment immediately.
Rodriguez left the Dominican Republic team on Wednesday to fly to Colorado after the results of a MRI taken Saturday in Tampa revealed the internal cyst. A Yankees team physician, Dr. Chris Ahmad, recommended that Rodriguez undergo an examination by a specialist.
"For the entire family, this is a big blow," Dunand said. "Alex is destroyed. We were all really excited to see him play with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic but the most important thing is the operation is successful so Alex can continue with his career."
The 33-year-old Rodriguez has managed discomfort in his right hip dating back to last season. Girardi said Wednesday that Rodriguez had expressed feeling "a little stiffness" at various times since last season.
"There wasn't really any pain -- just some mild stiffness," Girardi said. "He was doing a lot of stretching and worked on it this winter as well. We just want to make sure that we're doing the right things with this."
Rodriguez has played regularly this spring, including going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's Dominican Republic exhibition against the Marlins. He left the Yankees on Sunday after playing in New York's Grapefruit League loss to the Reds at Sarasota, Fla.
Happy Manny re-dons Dodger blue
Ramirez says he's thrilled to be back in LA with two-year deal
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
PHOENIX -- It was Manny being Happy Manny on Thursday, his first full day back with the Dodgers.
"I'm baaaaack!" Ramirez said playfully upon stepping to the microphone during Monday's news conference at Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers' Spring Training facility.
"This is a place where I want to play, where I'm going to be happy. My teammates love me, the fans love me for the way I play. ... I've got a two-year contract and I'm in a happy place."
Ramirez re-signed with the Dodgers on Wednesday, when he and the club agreed to a two-year, $45 million contract. He called it a "great contract" and thanked the McCourt family, which owns the Dodgers for "this good investment."
The brief news conference featured a good deal of laughter, much of it coming from Ramirez, who seemed not to have any regrets over the sometimes touchy four-month negotiation.
"I've already made my money," he said twice.
The deal was closed on Wednesday during an early-morning meeting at the Malibu, Calif., home of Dodgers chairman Frank McCourt that was attended among others by Ramirez, his agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore, general manager Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre, the latter duo flying in from Spring Training camp on Tuesday night for the session.
Ramirez accepted a similar deal to the one the Dodgers offered at a meeting at Dodger Stadium a week earlier -- two years, $45 million ($25 million in 2009, $20 million in 2010) with a player option after the first year. If Ramirez decides to stay, payment will be deferred over five years without interest at $10 million each for the first two years and $8.33 million each for the next three years.
If he opts out, he'll receive $25 million over the course of four years, $10 million, $5 million, $5 million and $5 million.
During the news conference, McCourt commended Ramirez for the $1 million charitable contribution he agreed to as part of his deal. McCourt said that he would have a line in every player's contract for them fill in an amount they would like to donate, and that he would name the "clause" after Ramirez.
After being acquired from the Red Sox on July 31 of last year, Ramirez batted .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games, leading the Dodgers as far as the National League Championship Series, where they lost to the eventual World Series-winning Phillies.
Ramirez captured the imagination of the Los Angeles area and its fans in 2008 like no Dodger since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
One of the first things McCourt said Thursday was that the Dodgers have "unfinished business." Ramirez echoed that sentiment.
"It's a great day for the Dodgers organization," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said.
Japan silences China in Classic opener
Starter Darvish tosses four hitless innings; Ichiro 0-for-5
By Wayne Graczyk / Special to MLB.com
TOKYO -- Team Japan won the opening game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, beating a punchless China club, 4-0, before a flag-waving, camera flashing, mostly Japanese crowd of 43,428 in Tokyo on Thursday night.
Each team collected five hits during the game, with the big blow for Japan a two-run home run by third baseman Shuichi Murata.
Six Japanese pitchers combined for the shutout, with starter Yu Darvish getting the victory. Darvish went the first four innings, allowing only one base runner on a walk in the second. He faced the minimum number and struck out three.
"It was good I was able to complete four innings," said Darvish who had been struggling in exhibition game appearances prior to the start of the Classic. "My out pitch was working well tonight."
Japan threatened to score in the first two innings, but China starter Li Chenhao worked out of a couple of jams and stranded three Japanese base runners.
The Samurai broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the third when Norichika Aoki singled to center, driving in Hiroyuki Nakajima, who had walked and stole second. Murata followed with his line-drive home run into the left-field stands to make the score 3-0.
Japan added a fourth run without a hit in the bottom of the sixth inning when with two outs after two walks and a force out, China pitcher Sun Guoqiang balked with runners at first and third.
Superstar and fan favorite Ichiro Suzuki was held in check by the Chinese hurlers, going 0-for-5. Like Darvish, Ichiro also slumped through the Classic tuneup games.
Japan manager Tatsunori Hara said the key to the game was the pitching by Darvish. "He set the stage, and I am very proud of him," said Hara. "When you don't give the other team any runs, that is a shortcut to victory."
China manager Terry Collins also expressed pride in the way his team -- especially the pitchers -- performed.
"Whenever you face a lineup like (Japan's) and give up only five hits, you've pitched a good game."
As for his team's handling of Ichiro, Collins said, "We got him at the right time. You're not going to hold down Ichiro for very long, and he could have just as easily gone 5-for-5.
The atmosphere at Tokyo Dome resembled that of a mid-summer all-star game with a lavish opening ceremony, the first ball thrown by Sadaharu Oh, the world home run king and manager of Japan's 2006 Classic championship team, and numerous pitching changes because of the Classic pitch-count rule.
Japan's Crown Prince Hironomiya and Crown Princess Masako attended the game, waving to the crowd from a royal box at the end of the seventh inning.
Japan now faces the winner of Friday's game between Korea and Chinese Taipei on Saturday night, while China plays the loser of that game on Saturday afternoon.
Starting pitchers for Friday's game have been announced as Ryu Hyunjin for Korea and Lee Chen-Chang for Chinese Taipei.
