Football

Ichiro won’t suit up for Japan in the WBC

TOKYO - Ichiro Suzuki told Japanese baseball officials on Monday will not play in next year’s World Baseball Classic.

“I appreciate being asked to play for Japan again at the WBC,” Suzuki said. “But after the second tournament in 2009 I never considered playing in the third event. My feelings have not changed to this day, and it’s where things stand.”

The 39-year-old Suzuki, who was instrumental in helping Japan win the WBC in 2006 and 2009, joins fellow Japanese major leaguers Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki in opting out of the March 2-19 tournament.

Suzuki, a free agent, was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees in July. Yankees’ pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, another free agent, also said Monday he would not play in the 2013 WBC.

AP