Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka claims that he will play in the World Baseball Classic for Japan next spring. "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." The right-hander went 3-0 in the 2006 WBC with a 1.38 ERA.