Baseball: Matsui signs with Yankees

Japanese baseballer Hideki Matsui and the New York Yankees reached a preliminary agreement yesterday on a US$21 million ($40.5 million), three-year contract.

Matsui must pass a physical for the deal to be finalised.

The three-time MVP of Japan's Central League will get salaries of US$6 million in 2003, US$7 million ($13.5 million) in 2004 and US$8 million ($15.4 million) in 2005, a baseball executive said.

Outfielder Matsui, 28, nicknamed "Godzilla", becomes the second Japanese player to join the Yankees in the past several years, following Hideki Irabu, from 1997 to 1999.